Therapy
by PrincessPatrice
Summary: The team are forced by the Sec Nav to attend therapy sessions, which reveil some interesting things about thier childhoods, especially Tonys. Tony whump, Team friendship, Gibbs/Tony Father/Son Spoilers for Faith in later Chapters
1. Chapter 1

_I don't own Ncis or any of the Characters. (Unfortunately)_

_I am not a therapist so a lot of this may not be accurate or correct so I apologise in advance_

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Chapter 1

"Grab your gear." Gibbs ordered as he walked down the stairs from Vance's office

"What have we got boss." Tony asked, picking up his backpack, ready to go.

"We're going home to pack." Gibbs replied. "We will be staying in a hotel for the next week and attending group therapy sessions."

"Therapy?" Tony gasped in horror. "We don't need therapy."

"The order has come from the Sec Nav." Gibbs replied with a sigh "Abby, Ducky and Palmer will be there too and Vance."

"Why do we need therapy?" Ziva asked.

"They seem to think it will help us re-bond as a team" Gibbs answered "After everything we have been through; they feel we need to get to know each other again."

"But why Vance." Tony asked

"Because we are the Major crimes first response team, we deal with the director the most and the Sec Nav thinks he needs to get to know us and us him."

"Great." Tony growled "So where to and when?"

"The Hilton, at 1400." Gibbs growled. "McGee, go tell Abby. I'll tell Ducky and Palmer."

The group split and headed in their separate directions, all dreading what the week would bring for different reasons.

Tony went home to his apartment and packed all of his best clothes for the next week. The comfort his clothes gave him would be needed to get him through the next week. He hated shrinks, they twisted everything you said and changed it. He was dreading that some things from his past would come out. Things he tried very hard to keep from his teammates and wanted to keep it that way. He was however looking forward to finding out more about his teammates.

When Tony had his clothes packed, he went to the bathroom and packed his toiletries. He opened his medicine cabinet and pulled out his inhaler and his cold pills. He was feeling a bit under the weather and didn't want to be caught without these in case he got a cold. The need for the inhaler really annoyed him but he generally only needed it occasionally in the winter. After throwing the toiletries into his bag and he headed to the kitchen. He made a sandwich for his lunch and after he had finished and cleaned up, he locked up his apartment and headed to the hotel.

When Tony arrived, he couldn't see anyone else so sat down and started reading today's newspaper. He was sitting there for only about five minutes when Ziva and McGee came in and Tim was looking a bit green.

"Did you let Ziva drive Probie?" Tony called out from behind his newspaper.

"Yeah." McGee replied. "We didn't want to bring too many cars. Abby is coming with Gibbs and Jimmy and Ducky are coming together."

"Oh ok." Tony replied and looked over to the door where Abby and Gibbs were walking in.

"Hi McGee, hi Ziva." Abby called as she walked in, in full on Goth attire. "Oh hi Tony, I didn't see you there."

"Hi Abby." Tony replied as he dropped the newspaper and stood up to join the rest of the group.

"This is so exciting." Abby squealed as Palmer, Ducky and Vance all walked in.

"Listen up." Vance called getting everyone's attention "There are two suites booked, three bedrooms each, how do you want to divide it up?"

"Ziva and Abby can share." Gibbs started. "They can share the suite with you and McGee can take the other room. Tony and Palmer will share in the suite with me and Ducky."

"All right." Vance agreed and went to the check in desk.

He returned a few minutes later with key cards and handed them out for everyone. The group then got in the elevator and went up to their floor. The suites were beside each other and the conference room that they had booked was at the end of the hallway.

"Settle in and head for the conference room for 1500." Vance said and they all went into their suites.

"Not bad." Tony said as they entered the seating area and looked at the rooms.

"There are two beds in here." Palmer called from one of the rooms

"That's ours then." Tony replied and hurried to the room. "Which bed do you want?"

"I'll take this one." Jimmy replied and dumped his bag on the bed beside the window.

Tony just nodded and dumped his bag. He unzipped the bag and pulled out his toiletry bag and went to the bathroom. After closing the door, he opened the bag and pulled out the cold pills. He was feeling a little bit worse since he'd left his apartment. He popped two of the pills into his mouth and swallowed them with some water before returning to the sitting area.

"Hey Jimmy." He called. "Do you want to go see what this hotel has to offer?"

"Yeah sure Tony." Jimmy replied as he came out of their bedroom.

"Make sure you are back for 1500." Gibbs called as he walked into the bathroom.

The two younger men ran out of the room to explore the rest of the hotel like two excited children, leaving the two older men to relax.

"Ducky" Gibbs called as he came out of the bathroom

"Yes Jethro."

"Have you noticed anything wrong with Tony?" Gibbs asked gruffly

"I can't say I have Jethro. Why do you ask?" Ducky asked as he walked toward Jethro who was re entering the bathroom.

"I found these pills in his wash bag." Gibbs sighed holding up the packet to show Ducky "There are only two gone and it looks like a new packet."

"Oh dear." Ducky sighed "I did notice he looked a little tired and pale. I will keep an eye on him Jethro; hopefully we can stop the cold from progressing."

Meanwhile Tony and Palmer had found the gym and swimming pool and they were checking the area out.

"We can go for a swim later Jimmy." Tony said excitedly "And we can go for a workout, maybe tomorrow."

"Um yeah sure." Jimmy agreed "Let's go see if we can find something to do tonight."

"Yeah." Tony agreed "We don't want to be stuck in that room all evening with nothing to do."

"I think I saw a movie theatre on our way." Jimmy said "Maybe we could go see something. Of course the hotel has a bar if all we wanted to do was drink."

"Probably not a good idea, what with Vance, Gibbs and Ducky all here." Tony sighed as they walked around the lobby. "Let's see what else is near here. Maybe we can get pizza tonight."

"Yeah ok" Jimmy agreed and the pair left the hotel.

They took a quick tour of the area and discovered not only a pizza parlour and a cinema, they also found a bowling alley, a pool hall and a wide variety of restaurants. They turned around and headed back to the hotel when they realised the time and they ran back to the hotel as quick as they could manage. They both just managed to run through the conference room door as the others arrived. Tony collapsed into the chair breathing hard, as everyone else took their seats.

"You all right Tony." Gibbs growled worriedly at his agent

"I'm... ok... boss." Tony panted as he caught his breath. "Just need... to catch...my breath."

"Hello everyone." A woman greeted as she entered the room. "I'm Dr. Anita Sullivan but you can just call me Anita. How about we all take a seat and I can get to know you."

Everyone took their seats around the table and Anita took the seat at the head of the table.

"All right." Anita started and turned to Ducky "If you can start and tell me your name and position and NCIS."

"Hello Anita my dear." Ducky greeted. "I'm Dr Mallard but everyone calls me Ducky. I hold the position of the Medical Examiner for NCIS I also act as a personal physician for both Jethro and Anthony."

"Very good." Anita said as she took notes and next looked to Ziva who was sitting beside Ducky.

"My name is Ziva David. I am a probationary Agent but I was previously a Mossad liaison. My position changed only very recently."

"I see." Anita replied and looked to Abby. "Thank you."

"My name is Abby Sciuto and I am the forensic specialist."

"I am Timothy McGee and I am a Field Agent on the major crimes response team."

"Thank you." Anita said and turned to Vance.

"I'm Leon Vance and I'm the director of NCIS."

Next Anita turned to Jimmy.

"Uh my name is Jimmy Palmer and I'm the ME's assistant.

"Thank you Jimmy." Anita said and turned to look at Tony with an appraising smile. "And what's your name."

"I'm Anthony DiNozzo and I'm the Senior Field Agent on the team." Tony replied not noticing that the psychologist was flirting with him.

"And I'm Leroy Jethro Gibbs but everyone calls me Gibbs. I'm the Team leader."

"Ok brilliant, now that I know everyone's name and positions, we can get on with this. Basically what our objective here is for all of you to get to know each other better. I want for you to know how everyone grew up, where they went to school, their likes and dislikes."

"Why do we need to know these things?" Abby asked

"To know why the people you work with think the way they do, to understand where they came from and how it affects their actions today."

"Oh ok." Abby replied with a smile

"We have two and half hours today so I think to start off with we should each tell a little of our childhood."

"Oh God." Tony mumbled under his breath

"You'll be fine." Jimmy whispered as quietly as possible, knowing that Tony didn't like to share.

"All right first up Ducky."

"Ah well." Ducky began. "I was born in Scotland in a small village. My parents were well off so we were never short of anything. I was the eldest child of two so I was the apple of my mother's eye. I had one brother who was two years younger than me. We went to primary school in the village. There were only ten children in the class so it was great fun. I later went to a very exclusive boy's school called Eton, which by the way is where all of the male members of the royal family attend. My parents later divorced, which in that time was very unusual. That made life a bit more difficult but we managed. I later studied Medicine in the Edinburgh University Medical School. When I qualified I joined the British Military. Well I suppose that's a bit more then my childhood. Would you like me to elaborate on anything my dear? I have many stories I can tell."

"No thank you Ducky, I think that will do for now." Anita replied. "We may come back to more of it later."

"Very well." Ducky agreed with a smile. "Ziva my dear you can go next."

"Ok." Ziva replied "I grew up in Israel with my Mother, Father, my sister Tali and sometimes my half brother Ari. My father was a high ranking Mossad officer so we did not see a lot of him but my Mother was always there. From an early age I trained in various martial arts to prepare to become a Mossad officer. My Mother did not like that very much and tried to get me to do more girly things like playing with dolls. I preferred GI Joe."

"You never played with dolls." Anita asked curiously.

"No I was never interested in them. I did however enjoy dancing and did not mind doing ballet. I also enjoyed playing the piano. My sister Tali died in a suicide bombing when she was 16. It was the same time that I joined Tzahal, as is compulsory for all women. I then joined Mossad. That was my childhood."

"Thank you Ziva." Anita said and turned to Abby. "Abby can you tell me a bit about your childhood."

"Sure." Abby replied happily. "I come from a big family. I'm the oldest and I have 2 brothers and 2 sisters. Both my parents are deaf and so is one of my sisters. Our house was very quiet growing up but as we got older we always played a lot of music and we played it loud because it didn't bother my parents. I grew up in the south and it was pretty cool. We had alligators in our back garden so it was dangerous but really fascinating. I loved school and won loads of science fairs. We had a junk yard near our house and I used to sneak in and look at the car wrecks trying to figure out what happened. That's why I went into forensics."

"Ok." Anita replied with a smile "Tim you're next"

"Um ok well I ah, grew with ah my mother and father and my little sister Sarah. We had a pretty normal life. Well normal for an Army brat. I liked school, I wasn't very popular but I had a good group of friends. I ah, loved computers and computer games so later I decided to go to MIT to study computers I also went to Johns Hopkins."

"Good." Anita replied. "Now Leon, your turn."

"I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio where I lived with my parents. I have no siblings, but I had some very close friends. I didn't love school but did ok. Like McGee I loved computers and spent a lot of time on them. I move to Chicago when I finished school where I took up boxing. I signed up for the marines but I was discharged for a Medical condition."

"All right." Anita smiled "Jimmy you can go now."

"Alright." Jimmy smiled "I grew up with one older brother, my mother and my father. We lived just outside Washington and I loved where I grew up. I loved school, especially science, but I was very awkward as a child and I only had a few close friends. I spent a bit of time in and out of hospital with my diabetes. My mother was always with me though and because of that we were very close. We still are. Because of the amount of time I spent in hospital, I decided that I wanted to become a doctor."

"Very nice." Anita replied "Tony,"

"I grew up in Long Island with my mother and father. My father has a lot of money so we had a huge house. My mother died when I was 8 and I went to boarding school from when I was 9 and then I went to Military school when I was 12 and from there I went to Ohio State."

"Would you care to elaborate on any of that Tony?" Anita asked.

"No." Tony replied with a smile.

"DiNozzo." Gibbs growled. "Do as the lady asked."

"Yeah we'd like to know." Abby added softly. "We don't know anything about your childhood."

"What more do you want know?" Tony asked reluctantly.

"Where did you go to school before boarding school?" Anita asked.

"I didn't, I was home schooled." Tony sighed.

"Oh and why was that." Anita asked coaxing Tony to talk.

"My mother was a bit over protective and didn't want me to go."

"Were you ill?" Anita asked.

"I was born nearly two months premature and I was in and out of hospital until I was about 9. My mother had a few miscarriages before and after I was born. She never had any more children." Tony replied reluctantly hoping that Anita would give up and move onto Gibbs.

"Did you have many friends growing up?" Anita continued

"No, not until I went to Rhode Island." Tony sighed and looked down at his hands.

"Did you enjoy military school?"

"It was fine." Tony sighed. "I made friends and started playing basketball and football. I didn't like taking orders but I got used to it."

"Ok we'll leave it there for now but I want to come to you Tony." Anita said. "I think there is a lot more to learn about your childhood."

"No there isn't." Tony sighed again. "Gibbs you can take your turn now."

"Alright." Gibbs agreed. "I grew up in a small town called Stillwater. I lived with my mother and father. My father was a pilot in the Army and my mom stayed at home. My father gave up flying when I was about 5 and opened a store. I helped out a lot in the store after my mother died. That was when I was about 14. School was alright, I wasn't the best student but I did ok. I joined the Military as soon as I finished school."

"Ok guys that was great." Anita said "How about we take a ten minute break to get some coffee and then we can talk some more."

Everyone stood up and went to the coffee machine except for Tony and Jimmy who remained sitting.

"That wasn't too bad." Jimmy said

"Yeah it was." Tony scoffed. "She asked me questions and I had to answer. I really don't want to have to go into details."

"It's ok Tony. No one is going to judge you." Jimmy assured. "Come on let's get some coffee."

"Yeah all right." Tony agreed and the pair joined the others and made some coffee.

"I have noticed that Tony does not like to talk about his childhood." Ziva noted before Tony and Jimmy joined them.

"We have noticed that through the years my dear." Ducky sighed "I do not think he had the best childhood. Now quiet here he comes."

The all drank some coffee and walked around the room to stretch their legs. When the 10 minutes were up they all sat again in their seats.

"Ok now that we have the basics on everyone's childhoods I think we need to go into a bit more detail." Anita said. "So Abby tell me why you dress in Goth attire."

"Um I always have." Abby replied "I started dressing like this when I was a teenager."

"Yes but why. What happened that made you dress like that. You don't have a typical Goth personality. What happened before you started dressing this way?"

"Um, my, ah, friend died in a car accident." Abby said sadly. "I guess after that I kinda thought about death a lot and I suppose that's when I started dressing like this."

"Was it a close friend?" Anita asked.

"Yeah she was my best friend." Abby said as a tear fell down her cheek. "I was supposed to be in the car that day but I had a hinky feeling so I didn't go."

"It's ok Abby." Anita assured "It wasn't your fault."

"I know." Abby assured as another tear streaked her face and McGee pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry to bring up something painful." Anita said softly "But in the next week we are going to be bringing up some painful things but it will help the others to get to know you better. If there is something that you really don't want to answer then just let me know. Sometimes it helps to get these painful things out. I know it's something you don't want to have to go through, but it could help so just think about it."

The entire group sighed but nodded in agreement and Anita continued. "Tim, tell me why you enjoyed computers so much."

"Ah well I just liked them." Tim stuttered. "I especially liked to play games on them."

"What kind of games did you play?" Anita asked

"Um, fantasy games mostly. Dungeons and Dragons type of stuff. The World of Warcraft of the time." Tim replied "I played others but I enjoyed those the most."

"Why?"

"They were different than real life. You could get lost in a different world." Tim replied with a happy look on his face.

"And what were you trying to escape." Anita asked curiously

"I wasn't."

"Of course you were." Anita replied "Everyone has something that they do to help them escape life. So what did you want to escape? Was it your parents?"

"God no." Tim snapped. "My parents were great. They were always there for me and my sister."

"Something at school then." Anita continued. "Maybe your friends or other kids."

"Other kids." Tim said quietly. "I was a bit of a geek at school and a lot of the other kids like the jocks, used to bully me."

"And how did they do that."

"Pushed my head in the toilet, knock my books, called me names constantly and beat me up. All the typical things that bullies do." Tim replied unhappily.

"Oh Timmy." Abby gasped and pulled him into another hug. "That's horrible."

"Thanks Abbs." Tim smiled slightly "It was a long time ago."

"I know but still." Abby said and smiled back. "I won't let anyone do that to you ever again."

"Ah thanks." Tim replied.

"All right Tim thanks for sharing that." Anita said "So Leon, tell me why you started boxing."

"I wanted to learn to fight." Vance replied.

"Why did you want to fight?"

"Where we lived was a tough neighbourhood and I wanted to be able to protect myself."

"Protect yourself from whom."

"There were a lot of gangs in the area and they didn't like people who weren't in gangs. At the time there was a boxing club there and a lot of guys joined up to stay out of gangs and out of trouble."

"And what made you join."

"I got in some trouble and my parents said that I needed to do something to stay off the streets and boxing was the only thing around."

"Very good." Anita replied. "Gibbs, why did you leave home so young."

"The town was a mining town and I didn't want to be a miner." Gibbs replied "There weren't many other jobs there."

"Did you not have any friends there that you wanted to stay for?" Anita asked.

"No not really." Gibbs sighed. "After my mother died I was angry and I got in a lot of fights with the other kids."

"What about your father. Did you not want to stay with him?"

"My father and I didn't get on great at that time. I worked a lot in the shop and didn't want to be stuck doing that forever."

"Ok Ducky." Anita said. "How did your parent divorce affect your life?"

"Oh well, as I mentioned before it was very unusual at time for people to get divorced. It was a big shock for me and my brother. We didn't really understand what was going on and why it was happening. It caused a lot of problems at school. Eton was a very prestigious school and they didn't like that my parents were no longer together and like young Timothy, a lot of the other children made life worse by calling us names and bullying us. My mother was a very strong woman and she helped us to rise above it and to get on with things. After the divorce we didn't see a lot of my father and that upset me greatly. I have remained very close to Mother, most likely because of all of this.

"Thank you for sharing that with us Ducky." Anita said. "Now Ziva, tell me a bit about your dancing."

"I always enjoyed dancing around the house while listening to music. My mother was always trying to get me to be more feminine. She enrolled me in ballet lessons. At first I was unsure about it but after the first few lessons, I loved it. I spent a lot of time practicing at home for our dance recitals. My mother was delighted. I loved the recitals and loved to look out and see my mother watching me."

"Your father didn't attend the recitals." Anita asked.

"No." Ziva replied as a sad look fell across her face. "My mother said that he was too busy to attend."

"This upset you." Anita noted.

"Yes." Ziva agreed "Everyone wants their parents to see them perform on stage. I was upset that my father was never present."

"It was a bit more than that." Anita said.

"I looked up to my father and he let me down." Ziva said angrily. "He later told me that dancing was a waste of time and would not help me as a member of Mossad. I stopped dancing after that."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Anita said "You should take up dancing again."

"Maybe." Ziva agreed with a forced smile.

"All right now Jimmy, tell me about your time in the hospital." Anita said.

"Ok um well it started when I was about 12. I collapsed at school and was rushed to the hospital. When I woke up a few hours later I was on a drip and my mother was sitting beside me crying. She told me then that I had diabetes and I thought that I was going to die. I was really scared of needles at the time and when I found out I would need daily injections, I really freaked out. My mom hugged me and told me that it would be ok. Over the next few years I was in and out of hospital because as you grow up your body chemistry changes and my insulin levels were all over the place. It made life hard at school because I was off sick so often and some kids were mean about it but it wasn't that bad."

"Thank you Jimmy." Anita replied. "Tony would you like to tell us about when you were ill. Did you spend much time in the hospital."  
"I don't remember much of it." Tony replied "I know I was in hospital until I was nearly 4 months old. But obviously I don't remember that. I have a few vague memories of hospitals so I'd say I was in hospital a few times."

"What about when you were a bit older?" Anita asked.

"I was in hospital again when I was about 6 and I was in there for a while. I really hated hospitals."

"What was wrong with you?" Anita asked.

"I don't know." Tony replied "They never told me"

"Nobody ever told you what was wrong with you." Anita asked shocked "How is that possible. Ducky you are his doctor. Do you know?"

"I am afraid not." Ducky replied "I only have his records from when he was 18 onwards."

"That's strange." Anita commented. "Why would that be?"

"My father had a private physician, so my father most likely kept the files private." Tony said with a sigh.

"Ok what do you think may have been wrong with you, if you don't mind that is?" Anita asked.

"Um I remember all my hair fell out, so looking back, it was probably cancer of some type." Tony replied quietly

"Oh Tony." Abby cried. "You never told anyone."

"Sorry Abbs." Tony said with a small smile.

"How long were you sick for?" Anita asked as the others all looked at Tony with pity in their eyes.

"I think I was in hospital for a few months but my mother brought me home because I hated it there. They set up a small hospital in my bedroom and I was there for nearly a year before I got better."

"Wow, how is it none of us knew any of this." McGee asked.

"It's not something that comes up in conversation." Tony said.

"Did your mother comfort you like Jimmy's did?" Anita asked.

"No not really." Tony replied "When I got sick she started drinking a lot. She always drank but it got worse and I didn't see much of her. There was always nurse's around to take care of me."

"Were you sick after that?" Anita asked.

"No, I was never sick after that, only broken bones and concussions." Tony replied wearily.

"Ok guys, I think we can leave it there for tonight." Anita said seeing the look on Tonys face. "We'll meet again in the morning at 10am. Have a nice evening."

"Yes and you too my dear." Ducky said as they all stood up. "We will see you in the morning."

"Shall we go for dinner?" Ziva suggested. "I am hungry."

"Yes that sounds like a wonderful idea Ziva." Ducky agreed. "I am sure there are some nice restaurants in the area."

"Yes there are a few not far away." Jimmy confirmed "Tony and I saw a few earlier."

"Very good." Vance said "Let's go back to our rooms and meet in the lobby in say, half an hour."

"Yeah all right." Gibbs agreed and everyone left the room with Jimmy and Tony trailing behind.

"You all right." Jimmy whispered as they walked.

"Yeah I'm fine." Tony said with a sad smile. "I just hate everyone knowing all of that. They were all looking at me with pity and I hate that."

"They were just concerned Tony." Jimmy assured as they neared the door.

"Thanks Jimmy." Tony replied and they entered the suite.

"I'm gonna hit the head." Tony said and hurried to the bathroom before anyone could say anything.

"Shit Duck, how did we not know any of this." Gibbs growled but quietly.

"Anthony didn't want us to know." Ducky sighed. "He is very private when it comes to his childhood."

"I know." Gibbs growled and sat down on the couch.

"We need to give him some space." Ducky said. "He will no doubt have a lot on his mind."

"Agreed." Gibbs said just as the bathroom door opened. "Anyone else need the head before we go."

"Yeah." Jimmy replied and hurried into the bathroom as Tony went into their room.

Gibbs gave Ducky a glance and they both watched the bedroom door. A few minutes later Palmer came out of the bathroom and at the same time Tony came out of the bedroom.

"Are we ready to go?" Tony asked as he pulled on his coat and scarf.

"Yes just let me get my coat and we will be ready." Ducky said and he and the others grabbed their coats.

Five minutes later they were waiting in the lobby for the rest of the group. They were only waiting for five minutes when the rest of the group arrived.

"Tony, lead the way." Abby said and kinked arms with Tony.

Tony led the group through the streets and to one of the Italian restaurants he and Jimmy had seen earlier.

"Mmm. I love Italian." Abby said as they went into the restaurant.

"Me too." Tony agreed. "Table for 8 please."

The group was seated at two tables side by side. At one table Gibbs, Vance, Ducky and McGee sat and at the other were Tony, Jimmy, Abby and Ziva.

The waiter handed them their menus and left them for a few minutes to decide what they were having.

"Tony what is 'Truffle Carbonara'" Ziva asked after a minute "And why is it so expensive."

"It's the same as normal Carbonara but they have added expensive mushroom." Tony replied. "It's nice but I don't think it's worth the money."

"All right." Ziva replied and returned to the menu.

The waiter returned a few minutes later and took their orders. Ziva had decided to go for the normal Carbonara in the end. They also ordered some drinks. The drinks came after only a few minutes and everyone relaxed and enjoyed the beverages but no one was talking. Soon the food arrived and they all started eating to avoid conversation. Because of this they finished the first and main course quickly and decided to order some desert.

Tony was very grateful that no one was talking, but the tension was very thick within the group.

When the desserts were finished they ordered another drink, as everyone was at a loss as to what to do next.

"Does anyone have any idea what we should do for the rest of the evening?" Abby said after a few minutes.

"There's a pool hall near here." Tony suggested. "Or there is a cinema or a bowling alley."

"Oh bowling." Abby said eagerly. "I love bowling."

"So bowling it is." Gibbs said and looked around to the others and everyone nodded in agreement.

Vance paid for the meal on the company credit card and then Tony and Jimmy led them to the bowling alley. They all turned over their shoes and were handed the ugly bowling shoes.

They took two lanes beside each other and divided into two teams. Abby, Tony, Gibbs and Jimmy against Vance, Ziva, McGee and Ducky.

The game was close at the start but after a few rounds Abby's team was ahead by a mile. Tony turned out to be great at bowling, as did Jimmy. Gibbs was all right but didn't compare to the others. On the other team Vance seemed to be doing the best with Ziva not far behind. At the end Abby's team won and Tony had the most points over all. They all had a great time and forgot about what they had been talking about that day. Eventually they had finished up and it was getting late so they decided to go back to the hotel.

"You're really good Tony." Abby said as they walked. "You should think of the joining me in our bowling league."

"I don't think so Abbs." Tony said and suddenly he started sneezing.

"Bless you." Abby said. "Are you alright."

"I'm fine." Tony assured "It's just a bit cold out tonight."

"Yeah that's true." Abby agreed and they continued on, not see the look between Ducky and Gibbs.

Ziva, Jimmy and McGee were walking just behind Tony and the three older men fell back a bit.

"Tell me Gibbs." Vance said when they were out of earshot of the others. "Why did you do the rooms the way you did."

"Ziva and Abby had to go together being the only girls. They'll talk to each other if they get upset by anything. McGee will talk to Abby so I wanted them in the same suite. Out of everyone the only person Tony would maybe talk to is Palmer." Gibbs explained.

"Why am I in the suite with McGee and the girls?" Vance continued.

"Tony seems to be coming down with a cold so I want to be near him and I want Ducky around in case anything happens."

"That's a bit over kill for a cold." Vance commented.

"No not really." Gibbs said and they sped up to catch up with the others.

"What are we doing now?" Abby asked as they neared the hotel.

"It's getting late Abby." Gibbs said. "I don't know what you are doing, but I'm going to bed."

"Yes I agree with Jethro." Ducky said "I'm getting too old to be staying out late."

"I never said I was old Duck." Gibbs barked but the smile showed he wasn't angry.

"Well I'm not old and I want to go out to a club or something." Abby scowled. "Tony you'll come with me wont you."

"Actually I'm kinda tired Abby." Tony said softly

"That's ok Tony." Abby sighed "Timmy will come with me."

"Um, all right." Tim agreed reluctantly. "Ziva, Palmer, do you guys want to come."

"Yes I think I will." Ziva replied.

"Um I don't know." Jimmy said uncertainly.

"You should go." Tony said to his friend. "You'll have a good time."

"Um all right then." Jimmy replied. "Are you sure you won't come Tony."

"Na, not tonight." Tony said and gave a small smile. "But have a drink for me and be quiet when you come in."

"I'll try." Jimmy assured and with that the 4 left the others in search of a night club or a bar.

When they were gone Ducky, Vance, Gibbs and Tony went in to the hotel and went up to their rooms. When Tony got into the suite he hurried to the bathroom and got ready for bed. He downed some more cold pills and put his inhaler into his pocket as he started coughing slightly.

'Damn' he thought as he walked back into the sitting area 'I hate feeling sick especially with everyone here to see me.'

"Are you all right Anthony?" Ducky asked

"I'm fine Ducky." Tony assured with a forced smile. "I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you guys in the morning."

"Good night Anthony. Sleep well." Ducky said with a smile as he walked towards the bathroom himself.

"Night Tony." Gibbs said. "You know where I am."

Tony nodded, thankful that Gibbs wasn't pushing him to talk, but let him know he was there. That's what he liked about Gibbs; he never pushed Tony to talk about his childhood. In all the years they'd worked together he never asked him to go into details.

Tony gave a small smile and then went to his room. He put the inhaler on his locker and then stripped out of his clothes and changed into his sweats and t-shirts. He climbed into the single bed and pulled the covers tightly around him. He curled up as much as his tall frame allowed and after a few minutes he fell asleep.

Gibbs and Ducky stayed in the sitting room talking for a while, discussing all that was revealed today. They too went to bed a while later.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jimmy returned a few hours later and quietly got ready for bed, being careful not to wake Tony. He climbed into bed and went to sleep. He woke about two hours later when he heard Tony coughing. "Tony, are you ok." Jimmy asked.

There was no answer forthcoming so Jimmy switched on the lamp to check on his friend. He found Tony still sleeping but coughing. He listened for a few minutes and Tony seemed ok again so he went back to sleep. Jimmy woke a few times during the rest of the night to Tony's coughing. By the time morning arrived Jimmy was getting worried about Tony. When the alarm went off Tony groaned and rolled out of bed.

"Where are you going?" Jimmy asked "It's still early."

"I'm going to go for a swim." Tony said as he changed into his gym gear.

"You need to take your inhaler." Jimmy said. "You were coughing a bit last night."

"Yeah all right." Tony agreed and picked up the inhaler. He took two puffs of it and gathered his things. "I'll be back in a while."

"Don't work out too hard." Jimmy yawned

"I'll try not to." Tony said and hurried out the door.

Tony went down to the gym they had seen yesterday and started his work out. He had only been running for 15 minutes when he started coughing again and had to stop. He moved on to the weights and managed to continue for another 15 minutes before he had to stop. At this stage he decided to give up and just go for a swim. He went to the locker room and changed into his swim trunks and went to the pool. There was no one else there and he happily got into the pool. He started swimming laps and the entire time no one came into the pool. He lasted about 20 minutes when he was too tired to continue. He went to the locker room and had a shower and changed into his clothes for the day. When he returned to the suite the others were just getting up.

"Where have you been DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked as he sipped his coffee

"I went to the gym." Tony replied as he headed to the bathroom

After going to the toilet Tony popped some more cold pills and re-joined the others.

"How was last night?" Tony asked Jimmy as he sat down.

"We had a good night." Jimmy replied "Abby found a club a few blocks away and they had good music. We danced a lot. Abby really likes to dance."

"That she does." Tony replied followed by a cough. "I'm going to go get breakfast. Are you guys coming?"

"Yeah I'm starving." Jimmy replied and pulled on his sweater.

"Yes that sounds lovely." Ducky added and Gibbs gave a nod.

The four of them went down to the restaurant and ordered some food. Tony ordered pancakes but only managed to eat half of the stack, while the others ate all of their breakfasts. The others of course noticed this but didn't say anything. They were just finishing up when the group from the other suit arrived.

"Hey guys." Abby greeted "How is everyone this lovely morning."

"We're good." Jimmy replied.

"We were just about to go back upstairs." Gibbs said. "We'll see you in 30 minutes in the conference room."

"Yes sir." Abby teased.

The group returned to their room and relaxed for a little while before they made their way to the conference room. Jimmy had to practically drag Tony into the room.

The group took their seats and waited for the others and Anita to arrive. Anita arrived first followed by the other a minute later.

"Great, everyone is here." Anita said "Let's get started. I do want to come back and talk to you about your childhoods a bit more but I think for now I want to hear about how you all wound up working in NCIS. Ducky would you mind going first."

"Of course not my dear." Ducky replied "Well I started in NIS as it was called then nearly 20 years ago. I had previously worked as a doctor with the military. I met a lovely man by the name of Dr. Hubert, he was a great chap and we had some good times. One night we went out for a walk and wound up in the enemy territory. But that's a story for another time. Well we kept in touch throughout the years. I wasn't happy in the job I was in and Dr. Hubert told me that his friend was retiring from NIS and that there was a position opening as the Medical Examiner. I applied and here I am."

"Very good." Anita said and turned to Abby.

"Oh well my story is kind of like Ducky's." Abby started. "My cousin heard that the forensic scientist for NCIS was moving on. The place I was working really wasn't for me. The boss there was really creepy and kept leering at me. I had been looking for a job for a while but nothing really caught my eye until this. I applied for the job and had my interview. I wasn't really sure if it went ok because the guy from HR kept looking at me weirdly. But anyway they offered me the job and I accepted straight away and quit my other job. That was just about 10 years ago now."

"Alright, now Ziva." Anita said

"I do not know where to start." Ziva sighed. "I came to NCIS originally because they were having problems with a terrorist who turned out to be my brother Ari. My father sent me over here to handle the situation. I had worked with Director Jenny Sheppard previously and she had me work with Gibbs team. I was told to get Gibbs to trust me and I did. I returned to Israel with my brothers body and a few weeks later I was sent back to work with Gibbs team as a Mossad liaison. The Director had not informed Gibbs of this but I was accepted into the team and here I am."

"Hmm. I'm sure there is more to that story." Anita said "But I'm sure we will talk more about it later. Now Tim."

"Well I ah, I was working in Norfolk for a while with computers. As I said earlier I was good with computers and I always knew I wanted to in law enforcement of some sort, but I knew that I wasn't cut out to be a cop. So when the opportunity came up to work with the military I jumped at it. So I was called over to NCIS a few times to help Gibbs' team out with computer issues. Everyone knew that I wanted to be a field agent and after working with the team on a few cases Gibbs offered me the position on the team."

"Very nice." Anita said. "Leon, how did you come to be director?"

"Well I joined NCIS after my military carer went down the drain. I still wanted to be involved in the military somehow and when I was searching I came across NCIS. I joined as a computer tech and like McGee; I later became a probie on a team and worked my way up. I became the Director and moved here to Washington when my predecessor Jenny Sheppard died in a fire. I had worked with the team previously, when we were investigating a case where Agent DiNozzo was accused of murder. That was just over a year ago."

"Great, now Jimmy tell me how you became part of the team." Anita continued

"Well I joined NCIS about six years ago." Jimmy started. "Dr. Mallard previous assistant Gerald was shot in the shoulder by um, Ziva's brother Ari. He was unable to return to work after that and he recommended me for the position. He was a friend of a friend and he knew I was studying to be a doctor and thought I would enjoy working with Ducky. I applied for the job and thanks to Gerald I got it."

"All right Tony your turn." Anita said.

"He told us he got the job because he smiled." Tim said before Tony started.

"He did." Gibbs growled at Tim. "Go ahead Tony."

"I was working a case in Baltimore and a Navy lieutenant got involved, so I called NCIS and Gibbs and his team turned up. After the case he offered me a job." Tony said

"What was the case about?" Anita asked trying to get more out of Tony.

"We had a series of murders, all with the same MO, so we were thinking a serial killer. There was little or no evidence at any of the scenes. The Lieutenant was the third victim so with the information NCIS had on the lieutenant we were able to find a connection between all three murders. There was another killing before we could track down the murderer. I went undercover to catch him. When we caught him Gibbs offered me the job."

"All right." Anita said and moved on from Tony. "Gibbs."

"My wife and daughter were killed. An Agent called Mike Franks investigated their murder. I spoke to him a lot during that time. We never did catch their murderer he apparently fled the country. I had been medically discharged from the Marines and Mike offered me a job. I knew that I wanted to help catch bastards like the one who killed my family, so I accepted."

"Great." Anita said "I have a few questions I'd like to ask before we move on."

"Of course." Ducky replied. "Go ahead."

Anita smiled at Ducky and then turned to Gibbs. "Why did you hire Tim?"

"We had worked with him a few times before and he seemed to get on relatively well with the rest of the team. I knew that his computer skills would come in handy. They have."

"Were you worried at all that he wouldn't make it as a field agent?" Anita asked curiously.

"Yeah." Gibbs admitted. "When he first started I didn't think he'd cut it. But Tony and I watched him while he was with us and Tony convinced me that he would be a good agent with some training."

"Tony convinced you." Tim gasped.

"Yeah." Gibbs confirmed. "He has to approve with anyone I add to the team."

"I didn't know that." Tim said and gave a quick glance towards Tony.

"There's a lot you don't know about what a senior agent does." Gibbs said.

"I was Tony's senior agent." McGee protested. "I did the job."

"But I'm sure you didn't do all of it." Gibbs said. "Am I right Tony?"

"Yeah." Tony agreed reluctantly. "I didn't want to overwhelm him with everything."

"Who did everything else?" Anita asked

"I did it myself." Tony replied

"Alright Gibbs, can you tell us exactly what the senior field agent does."

"Sure." Gibbs replied. "He has to fill out any requisitions for everything and anything we need. I just sign them off. As well as doing his own report, he has to check mine and then summarise all the reports. He keeps a list of all our cold cases and once a month he has to give me a report with any changes or any more cases that have gone cold."

"And the others don't have to do any of this."

"No." Gibbs replied. "Tony does everything that they do and everything else. He also does the reviews on Tim and Ziva as well as adding to my review, Abby's, Ducky's and Palmers."

"Wow that's a lot." Anita said. "Tony, how do you manage to get everything done?"

"Bit by bit." Tony replied with a smile.

"His motto is work 'smarter not harder'" Tim added. "I never realised you had to do so much."

"Yeah well." Tony replied and started coughing.

Jimmy hurried out of his seat and grabbed a bottle of water. He opened it and handed it to Tony, who gratefully drank some.

"Thanks Jimmy." Tony said after he had caught his breath.

"Ok Gibbs." Anita continued. "Tell me why you hired Tony."

"He smiled." Gibbs replied with a smile of his own and then continued. "When we got the call about the dead lieutenant in Baltimore, my team consisted of me and one other person, Vivian Blackadder. She was an ok agent but she wasn't great. My senior Agent, Stan, had just left the team. Ducky, Viv and I went to Baltimore. When we got to the police station, it was chaos."  
"Everyone ran scared from Gibbs." Ducky added. "He was in particularly foul form."

"We were directed towards a desk that was piled high with folders and papers and behind them we found Tony." Gibbs continued. "I insisted on taking over the case. He stood up and looked me up and down and I growled at him. He smiled at me and said it would be a joint operation, that I obviously needed help."

"We worked together for nearly two weeks and after the first two days Jethro asked if I thought Tony would fit in well on the team." Ducky added "The young fella was a great investigator and very focused on the case, but at the same time he made us all laugh, making everything feel a bit lighter and more relaxed."

"Tony wasn't taking any crap from me." Gibbs continued. "He was good; I could tell that from only a few minutes of working with him. I needed someone who would stand up to me when needed, but also someone who could follow and work on their own. To catch the guy we needed him to strike again and Tony fit the profile, so he went undercover. We had back up from Tony's co workers but they screwed up and Tony wound up getting stabbed. I think that's why he decided to join NCIS."

"Is that true Tony?" Anita asked

"Yeah, it was one of the reasons." Tony confirmed "I didn't really trust the people I was working with and I knew it was time to move on. I trusted Gibbs the second I met him."

"And do you still trust him?" Anita asked.

"Yeah mostly." Tony replied.

"Mostly." Anita repeated. "Do you care to explain that?"

"No not really." Tony replied sullenly.

"You don't trust me." Gibbs asked, shocked by Tony's statement. "Do you trust the others?"

"None of you trust me Gibbs." Tony said quietly. "You've left me out of so many things. Trust is a two way street."

"Of course we trust you Tony." Abby added. "I tell you everything."

"I know you trust me Abbs, but you don't tell me everything. You never told me about Michael." Tony sighed and then turned to Anita. "Michael was an ex of Abby's who was threatening her and she never told us. But that's ok Abbs; we all have secrets that we don't want to share."

"Do you not trust me?" Ziva asked.

"I trust you to have my back out in the field." Tony said "But I know you don't trust me."

"I understand." Ziva said with a sad smile. "I would not trust me if our positions were reversed. I do trust you Tony. I trust you with my life and it took me a while to realise that."

"Can you tell me about this?" Anita asked curiously.

"I killed her boyfriend." Tony said

"He was a terrorist." Ziva explained. "Tony had found evidence of this and came to my apartment to confront me. I was not there but Michael was and they fought. Tony shot Michael."

"It was self defence." Gibbs added.

"But Ziva you did not believe what Tony said." Anita concluded.

"No I did not." Ziva continued. "I was upset. Michael was a trained Mossad agent, a trainer killer and if they fought it should have been Tony who lost."

"So what happened?" Anita asked.

"We were called to Israel to discuss the situation. I fought with Tony, even though he had a broken arm. Tony got my father to admit that he had ordered Michael to have a relationship with me. When we were to return home I told Gibbs that I did not think I could work with Tony. Gibbs said goodbye and left me in Israel."

"Why did you leave her there Gibbs?" Anita asked.

"While we were in Israel I discovered that Ziva had been ordered to do whatever she had to, to gain my trust. I did trust her because she saved my life but when I heard this, the trust was lost. I was not going to choose her over Tony."

"What's changed now?" Anita asked. "You are all a team again, so explain to me how that came about."

"None of us had any contact from Ziva since she had left, not even Abby." Tim explained. "We were all worried especially Tony. We started looking into her movements since we had left her and we discovered that a ship she had been travelling on had sank and there were no survivors. We found out what her mission was and Tony got really pissed off, after so long with no contact and no news that he decided that we needed to continue with her mission.

Tony and I went to Africa and were purposely captured. While we were in captivity we found out that Ziva was alive and she was brought into the same room as us. We had an escape plan and put it into action. We all escaped and here we are."

"I quit Mossad." Ziva continued. "I was allowed to join NCIS again after some therapy sessions and after talking to Gibbs about my trust issues. I am now a probationary agent."

"So it was Tony who instigated Ziva's rescue." Anita asked.

"Yeah it was." Gibbs agreed. "He still cared for Ziva even though he knew she didn't trust him. He did everything he could to go on that mission. He risked his life."

"All right." Anita said and took some more notes. "Tim, do you trust Tony."

"Yeah I do." Tim said confidently.

"Tony why don't you trust Tim."

"He doesn't respect me anymore. He thinks that he is better than me and shows it. I don't think he will trust my opinion or follow my orders when it is crucial and it will cause someone to get hurt or killed."

"Tim, is that true?" Anita asked. "Do you think you are better than Tony?"

"Well yeah." Tim replied. "I'm smarter than he is and I'm better with computers."

"Why does that make you better than him?"

"I'm a good agent and with my computer skills I think it makes me a better agent."

"So you think you would make a better senior agent than him?"

"Yeah I do." Tim admitted.

"Tony what do you have to say about that."

"Nothing." Tony replied.

"Gibbs." Anita said. "I have Tony's file here, I have all of your files, but from what I have read, Tony is a great agent. Why do you think Tim feels like this?"

"A lot of people feel like this." Gibbs answered. "Leon feels this way so why wouldn't McGee. Some people think that computers are the only way forward. They forget that people skills, common sense, street smarts and investigative skills are more important than searching computers. If someone wants' to hide, they don't leave a paper trail."

"Leon, do you feel this way?"

"Yes, computer skills are very important and I think every agent should be well versed in computers." Leon said "I think that McGee is more valuable than DiNozzo."

"I think we should break for lunch now." Anita said and looked around at the team. "Take two hours and I will see you back here then."

The group got up and walked out the door. Tony went to his room without saying anything to anyone. Jimmy followed him in.

"Do you want to go for lunch?" Jimmy asked. "Just us."

"Yeah all right." Tony agreed and after taking his inhaler and some more cold pills he pulled on his coat and scarf. "Let's go."

They walked out into the seating area where Ducky and Gibbs were waiting.

"We are going to go for lunch." Jimmy said. "We'll see you later."

"Tony." Gibbs said. "I know this is hard, but it'll get easier."

"I doubt it." Tony said with a sigh and he and Jimmy continued on their way.

They passed the others quickly and just as they got into the elevator the others came out of their room and went to the other suite.

"Where's Tony." Abby asked as they entered.

"He and Jimmy are already gone." Ducky said. "I think after that session, the poor boy needs to spend time with someone he trusts."

"And he trusts Jimmy." Ziva asked in surprise.

"Yes he does." Gibbs growled "Now let's go."

Meanwhile Tony and Jimmy were outside and looking for somewhere to go. Jimmy was trying to see a pizza parlour because he knew that Tony needed some comfort food. They started walking in the opposite direction to last night and soon discovered a pizza parlour. Jimmy led them in and he ordered a large sausage, pepperoni, and extra cheese pizza between them.

They sat at one of the tables with their drinks and waited for the pizza. Jimmy remained silent knowing that Tony would talk when he wanted to and not before. Tony still hadn't said anything by the time the pizza arrived. He was too busy thinking about everything that had been said. He broke away from his thoughts when he smelt the pizza and gave Jimmy a small smile before he picked up a slice and started eating.

"You know, it's not that I am surprised by what everyone said." Tony said when he had finished the first slice. "But it still hurts. Do you think it's time for me to leave NCIS?"

"I'd hate to see you leave." Jimmy replied "But you said earlier that you left Baltimore because you didn't trust your team."

"Yeah." Tony agreed "And honestly it's not the first time I've thought about leaving."

"You should wait until the end of this week before you decide anything." Jimmy said as he picked up another slice.

"Yeah, you're right." Tony agreed as he picked up another slice.

They remained silent as they ate the rest of the pizza. When they were finished they pulled on their coats and went back outside.

"Do you want to go back to the hotel?" Jimmy asked. "We still have an hour and a quarter left."

"No how about we just walk around." Tony suggested "There is a park not too far away."

"All right." Jimmy agreed and they started walking.

"Do you trust me?" Jimmy asked Tony after a few minutes.

"Yeah of course I do." Tony replied honestly. "Do you trust me?"  
"Yeah I do." Jimmy replied "I'd trust you with everything."

"Thanks Jimmy." Tony replied with a smile.

The two continued on their walk and found the park. They sat down on an empty bench and watched people walk by.

"Ducky trusts you too Tony." Jimmy said after a while.

"Maybe." Tony said with a sigh. "I just don't feel wanted there anymore. I know Vance doesn't want me there. Gibbs does but I'm not sure why."

"Because you are good." Jimmy assured. "Gibbs gave you his team. He trusts you to be able to do his job. That's good."

"Yeah but he doesn't trust me to let me in on some of the ops."

"Yeah but you don't tell him certain things either." Jimmy said.

"Only personal things." Tony sighed. "The only work related thing I didn't tell him about was the whole Jeanne fiasco. But he wasn't here when it started."

"I know Tony." Jimmy sighed. "Come on its getting cold, we should go back."

"Yeah." Tony agreed as he sniffled a bit. "We can go back to our room for a while."

"Sure." Jimmy agreed and they turned back towards the hotel.

When they arrived they still had over half an hour left so Tony went to their bedroom and lay down for a while. Just before the two hours were up Gibbs and Ducky returned to the room.

"Where's Tony." Gibbs asked when he saw Jimmy on his own.

"He's lying down." Jimmy said "I was just about to go get him."

"I'll get him." Gibbs said and made his way to the bedroom.

He found Tony fast asleep, wrapped up tightly in his blankets.

"Tony." He called and gently shook Tony's shoulder.

"Huh." Tony mumbled and opened his eyes.

"Are you all right Tony?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." Tony replied as he untangled himself from the blankets. "Is it time to go back."

"Yeah it is." Gibbs replied. "Come on."

Tony got out of bed and checked his reflection in the mirror. While he was doing this, Gibbs noticed the inhaler sitting on the locker. When Tony was ready, they headed out and back to the conference room.

The other group were all ready there, as was Anita, so they all quickly sat down.

"We are going to take a little break from talking now." Anita said. "In front of everyone are a few sheets of paper. I'm going to ask you questions about each other. For example I might ask what everyone's favourite colour is. I want you to write your own name on the top of the page, and write your favourite colour beside it. Then underneath, I want you to write everyone else's name and what you think their favourite colour is. Does everyone understand?"

"Yes." everyone chorused as they picked up their pens.

"First question." Anita continued. "What car does everyone drive?"

Everyone sat in silence contemplating their answers, except for Tony, who quickly started writing.

When everyone had finished they handed their sheets up to Anita.

"Next question. Tell me where everyone lives."

Again everyone thought about it started writing their answers. They then passed the papers to Anita.

"Now, what is everyone's favourite food?"

They continued doing this for the next hour and then they took a break while Anita looked through the answers. After fifteen minutes they all sat down again.

"Ok now, looking through these it seems that you guys don't know each other very well. I'm going to go through these now."

"Ducky, you drive a Morgan that you restored yourself."

"Yes that's correct." Ducky replied.

"Tony, Gibbs and McGee got that correct. Ziva, you drive a Mini."

"Yes that is correct"

"Tony and Gibbs got that correct. Abby, you drive a Beetle."

"Yup." Abby replied happily

"Tony, Gibbs, Tim and Ziva got that correct. Tim, you own a Portia."

"Yeah."

"Everyone other than Leon got that one correct. Leon you have a driver but occasionally you drive your family minivan."

"Correct"

"The only person who got that correct was Tony. The others just said you had a driver. Now Jimmy, You don't drive your own car."

"Ah no." Jimmy replied "I can drive but I only drive the truck."

"Ducky and Tony got that one correct. Tony now you drive a 1971 Black Chevrolet."

Tony nodded.

"The only person who got that right was Jimmy although he just said a black Chevrolet. Finally Gibbs you drive a Ford truck."

"Yup." Gibbs replied.

"Tony, Ducky, Abby and McGee got that correct. Now on that question Tony knew everyone the best and also Tony was the person least people knew about."

"Now for the rest of the questions I'm just going to read out everyone's answers and we'll talk about it at the end."

Anita spent the next half an hour going through all the answers and everyone was shocked at how little they actually knew about the others especially Tony.

"Now that we have gone through all this, I want everyone to give me your reactions. Ducky, how do you feel?

"Well I feel very ashamed that I don't know that much about everyone. I am shock by how little the others know about me." Ducky replied

"Ziva, how about you."

"I too am embarrassed that I did not know things about everyone." Ziva said "I was actually surprised at how much some people knew about me."

"Abby."

"I so thought that I knew everyone way better than that." Abby cried. "But I'm glad nearly everyone knew me so well."

"Tim."

"I'm actually surprised how much Tony knew about me and surprised by how little I knew him. I thought I knew everything about him."

"Leon, you knew everyone the least. And you are the person the others knew the least about."

"I thought that I knew this team pretty well. I know most of what's in their files but I've realised that doesn't mean I know them. As McGee said I am also quite surprised how much Tony knew about me. I thought I was more private."

"I see." Anita said. "Jimmy, were you surprised by anything."

"No not really." Jimmy replied with a smile. "I know I'm not very good at knowing things about people. I don't share a lot either and I tend to be over looked because I am not involved in the team as much as everyone else."

"Were you surprised that Tony knew you so well." Anita asked

"No not at all." Jimmy replied. "Tony is a very perceptive person. He likes to know people and he pays attention to their likes and dislikes."

"Tony, you knew everyone the most. Did this surprise you?"

"No what Jimmy said was right."

"Were you surprised how little the others knew you?"

"No not really." Tony replied. "I share what I want to share and nothing more."

"And finally, Gibbs. How did you feel about this?"

"I found it interesting. I thought everyone knew each other a lot better, with the exception of the director. I was surprised I didn't know that Tony had moved apartments and that I didn't know what car he drove. They are things I used to know."

"Tony when did you move apartment and change your car?" Anita asked. "The only person who got those questions correct was Jimmy."

"Over a year ago, for both." Tony replied.

"Why did you?"

"I was sent to be an agent afloat. So I ended the lease on my apartment. I didn't have a car at that stage, I only had a rental. When I came back I got a new apartment and bought a new car."

"And why is it Jimmy was the only one who knew all of this."

"He helped me move. I stayed on his couch for a few nights until I got my apartment. I also give him a lift to work sometimes."

"And no one else has been to your apartment or seen your car, even though you have apparently seen all theirs."

"They have had no reason to." Tony replied.

"I see." Anita replied. "I think the team has a lot of issues that need to be worked out and I think a lot of it is because you don't know each other. I think we need to talk about it. Firstly Ducky, it seems the other all know a lot about you. Can you explain why this is?"

"Well I would think it's because I tend to talk a lot. I tell a lot of stories about my past and if the others were to listen to all of those, they would know me very well."

"So it seems Gibbs, Tony and Jimmy would have listened to your stories the most." Anita said.

"Well I have known Gibbs for quite some time so he would have had some time to hear them. As I work with Jimmy he is with me the most. I have also known Tony for some time and I suppose he has heard many of them. He also spends a lot of time getting patched up by me and would have heard stories then."

"Yes you mentioned earlier that you were Gibbs and Tony's personal physician." Anita said. "Do they get injured often?"

"Oh yes indeed." Ducky replied "Tony more than Gibbs I think. Most of the injuries are not life threatening but there are enough to keep me busy."

"Ziva, the others also seem to know a lot about your life at present but not a lot about your Mossad life and your life as a child."

"A lot of the work I did for Mossad was classified so I am unable to discuss it. As for my childhood, if something comes up in conversation I answer it but I do not volunteer much information. I really did not think that the others could relate to the life that I had. I thought that all Americans had an easy life, no bombs, no one dying, money for everything you wanted, and no fear."

"Ah I see." Anita said. "Abby everyone seems to know quite a bit about you also."

"Well yeah, I'm a very open person most of the time." Abby replied with a smile. "I let everyone know what I like and don't like. I'm not afraid to hide my personality."

"I can see that." Anita said.

"Tim everyone seems to know nearly everything about you. Why is that?"

"Well I'm not really good at keeping things private, but also we had a case involving my sister and my sister can't keep her mouth shut, so a lot of things came out then."

"Leon, you are only on the scene for just over a year so they do not know much about you."

"Yes well, what they do know about me they discovered because of cases that they have worked involving my past. I am the director so I do not think it is prudent for them to know too much about me."

"Do you want them to trust you?" Anita asked. "As Tony said, trust is a two way street."

"Yes I would like them to trust me and my judgement. With most of the other teams, they trust me because of my title. Gibbs has known me for some time and I think because he knows me; he has reasons not to trust me. My first act as director was to break up the team; I think no matter what I do, this will always be in the back of their minds."

"Is this true." Anita asked and everyone silently nodded. "Was there a reason for this?"

"Yes, I had been informed that there was an agent who was providing information to someone. We had three suspects and I needed them on Gibbs team to find out who it was. When we got our answer I reformed the team."

"But it took age's to get Tony back." Abby interrupted.

"McGee was still working in the building and had been working closely with us. Ziva's Mossad operation had just finished so she was able to return quickly."

"You could have gotten Tony back." Abby said again. "He could have gotten a helicopter off the ship."

"He didn't want him back." Gibbs answered.

"What." Abby gasped. "How could you not want Tony? He's really good."

"Leon." Anita said. "Explain why you didn't want Tony back."

"I understood why Gibbs wanted McGee back. He is brilliant with computers and was turning into a good investigator. I also understood why Ziva was such an asset. She has all the skills from Mossad and also, she too was becoming a good investigator. I did not see why he wanted DiNozzo back so badly. I gave him files on numerous agents who would have done great on the team, but he insisted on having DiNozzo back. I went back over his file numerous times to see if I could find a reason."

"Did you?" Anita asked.

"No." Vance admitted "But when the opportunity arose, I brought him back."

"Gibbs, tell me why you wanted Tony back so much." Anita said.

"Tony had been with me for years. He is the only agent that has stayed with me and the only agent who could ever stand up to me. I wanted him back because he is a brilliant agent. He has great investigative skills and he thinks outside the box and that, has caught many a bad guy and saved many lives. I trust him to have my back more than anyone else and yes that includes, Ziva and Tim. Tony knows how I think and how to judge my moods. He is able to read me better than anyone else. Vance wants more agents like McGee and himself, not like me and Tony. I think when Leon looks at a file he sees Degrees and schooling. If you look in Tony's file I'm sure you will see numerous commendations and awards, not just from NCIS but from every police department he has worked in."

"Yes I have seen that." Anita said. "I was very surprised when Leon said he couldn't see why you wanted Tony on your team. From what I have read, he is someone I'd want to watch my back."

"Thanks." Tony mumbled not looking up from his hands.

"Ok Jimmy you have already said that the reason they don't know you that well is because you tend to be over looked. Is there anything else?"

"I don't think so." Jimmy replied "I think that is the only reason. I do share when someone asks and I don't purposely keep things secret. Tony knows me because he asked."

"Thank you Jimmy." Anita smiled.

"Tony, why do you think the others don't know you?" Anita asked.

"They don't want to and I don't want them to." Tony replied

"I'm sure they want to know more about you." Anita said. "Have they every asked about your life?"

"Very rarely." Tony replied "I have shared a few bits over the years but people don't care enough to remember."

"Like what?" Anita asked.

"You asked us earlier if we had any pets in our past."

"Yes you said the only pet you ever had were sea monkeys." Anita replied.

"Right, and no one got that right, they all said I had no pets. I told them a story about that before, about my sea monkeys and how my alcoholic mother had mistaken them for a drink and drank them."

"Oh," Anita said. "Yet everyone seemed surprised when you said your mother drank a lot."

"Yeah." Tony sighed.

"Gibbs, everyone seems to know a lot about you."

"Yeah. The only major secret I ever kept from them was that my wife and daughter were murdered. We also had to go to my home town for a case, where everyone met my father. After that my life was pretty much an open book."

"Ok everyone I think that is enough for today. We have opened up a lot and I'm sure you all have a lot to think about. Tony would you mind staying back for a minute."

"Um sure." Tony replied as the other all glanced worriedly at their colleague but went out anyway.

"Do you want me to stay?" Jimmy asked as he looked back.

"Thanks Jimmy, I'll be all right." Tony assured with a forced smile and Jimmy walked out and closed the door.

"I just want to make sure that you are aright" Anita said kindly. "A lot has been said today and most of it was about you."

"Yeah I got that." Tony replied

"Do you want to talk about it? I'm sure it was hard to hear all that."

"You'd think." Tony sighed. "Truth is, I've suspected most of it."

"But it can still be hard to hear." Anita said with a smile. "I took the liberty of looking into you some more over my lunch break. You have a BA in Physical Education, which is in your file. What isn't in your file is that you also have majors in Human Anatomy and Physiology, Dance, Bowling, Tennis all sorts of sports. You have also done Chemistry, psychology, Scuba diving, Rock climbing. Criminal psychology and Forensic analysis."

"Yeah I've done all those and also basic computers. I'm better then what they think at computers."

"Why don't you tell them any of this?" Anita asked

"If they wanted to know they could find out." Tony asked. "None of it is a secret. They are trained investigators, I'm sure they should be able to get this information if they wanted too. You did."

"That's true." Anita replied with a smile. "I just think that if they knew this it would help with the way they view you."

"It's shouldn't matter." Tony replied. "I've done that job for 9 years, I prove myself to them every single day. That should be all that counts."

"I agree." Anita said. "Look if you want to talk to me about anything, let me know and I'll set some time apart for you."

"Thanks, but I don't really like talking to shrinks." Tony said as he stood up and walked towards the door.

"Still the offer is there." Anita said as he walked out the door.

Tony went to the suite and went straight to the bathroom. After going to the toilet he took two more cold pills. After that he went to the bedroom where Jimmy was waiting.

"Is everything is ok." Jimmy asked.

"Yeah." Tony sighed as he sat down on his bed. "This has been one fucked up day and now I have to go face the others. It's going to be a nightmare."

"We don't have to go with them." Jimmy said "We can do the same as today."

"Nah it's ok." Tony assured as he took a puff of his inhaler. "It'll look like I'm sulking."

"Gibbs said we would be leaving for dinner in half an hour." Jimmy said. "You should lie down until then. You look tired."

"Yeah I might just do that." Tony said and lay back against the pillows and closed his eyes.

Jimmy quietly left the bedroom and sat down in the sitting room. A minute later Ducky came and sat down beside him.

"It has been some day." Ducky said "I fear that Tony has taken the brunt of it."

"Yeah he has." Jimmy agreed "and he's sick too. He has a cold but it's getting worse. He's using his inhaler."

"Ah I see." Ducky replied as Jethro joined them. "I will keep a closer eye on him. We cannot have him getting sick."

"Definitely." Gibbs said as he too sat down. "Tonight is going to be hard and we need to help him through it."

"We will." Jimmy assured and they lapsed into silence all lost in their own thoughts about Tony.

When half an hour was up Jimmy went and woke Tony. Tony grumpily got out of bed and pulled on his coat and the four of them left the room and went to the lobby where the other half of the group was waiting.

"Where should we go for dinner tonight?" Ziva asked and everyone turned to Tony to see what other restaurants he knew about.

"I don't care." Tony replied.

"There are a few different restaurants near where we ate last night." Jimmy said. "We can pick one of those when we get there."

"Ah, sure." Ziva replied and they started walking towards the restaurants.

When they arrived they chose one of the less busy restaurants. This time they were all sitting together at one big table. Tony chose the end as far away from Vance and McGee as possible.

Throughout the dinner, Tony remained silent as the others talked. They all avoided the topic of what was said that day, but everyone could feel the tension. When the dinner was finished they again were at a loss as to what to do for the rest of the evening.

"How about bowling again." Abby suggested.

"There was a pool hall." Jimmy said. "That might be fun."

"Yeah that sounds good." McGee said. "I'm good at pool."

"Alright Jimmy, lead the way." Abby said and the group walked towards the building.

When they got there, there were two tables available side by side so the group took these. They decided first to play two games of doubles and then they would play single games. The teams were, Jimmy and Tony against Gibbs and Ducky and Ziva and Abby against McGee and Vance.

McGee and Vance won their game and Tony and Jimmy won their game. They decided that they would play another round of doubles with the two winning teams against each other and the two losing teams against each other.

Abby and Ziva lost the game as Abby really wasn't that good and neither was Ziva. The game between the others was very intense and very close but in the end Tony and Jimmy won, with Jimmy potting the black ball. They then played a few more rounds and Jimmy won all his games and was declared the winner before they decided it was time to return to the hotel. Again Abby wasn't ready to go to bed but everyone else was, so they all wound up returning to the hotel and turning in for the night. They all returned to their rooms and again Tony hurried to the bathroom. He again took some cold pills and brushed his teeth before returning to the sitting room.

"Goodnight." Tony called as he walked into his room and shut the door.

"I'll give him a chance to change and then I'll check on him." Ducky said. "I'll just go to my car and grab my bag."

"I can do that." Jimmy volunteered and took the keys from Ducky. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Thank you my boy." Ducky said with a smile and Jimmy hurried out the door.

Jimmy quickly went to Ducky's car and retrieved the medical bag from the trunk before returning to the room.

"Ah thank you." Ducky said as he took the bag. "Now if you'll excuse me I'll check on Anthony."

Ducky knocked lightly on the door and then walked in, closing the door behind him.

"Anthony." Ducky called and Tony rolled over to look at the Doctor.

"Yeah." Tony replied and started to cough.

"I've noticed you have a bit of a cold and I just wanted to check on you." Ducky said as he sat down on Jimmy's bed.

"It's fine Ducky." Tony assured when the coughing stopped. "It's just a cold. Nothing you can do for it."

"Well I would still like to check on you." Ducky said as he pulled out his stethoscope. "Better safe than sorry."

"Ok." Tony reluctantly agreed as he sat up in the bed.

Ducky lifted up Tonys top and instructed him to breathe as deeply as possible.

Tony did as instructed and started coughing. Ducky tutted as he listened to Tony chest.

Ducky pulled out the blood pressure cuff and wrapped it around Tony's arm. He put a thermometer under Tony's tongue while he took his blood pressure.

"What's the verdict?" Tony asked as Ducky checked the readings.

"I think it may be a bit more than a cold." Ducky replied. "I will consult with Bradley in the morning and we will determine what the best course of action is."

"You don't need to contact Brad." Tony sighed. "I have my inhaler. I'll be fine."

"I don't think the inhaler will do it this time." Ducky said apologetically "I think I will need to take some blood."

"Is that really necessary?" Tony asked with a worried look on his face.

"I will see when I talk to Bradley tomorrow." Ducky replied and turned back to his bag. "For now I will need to give you a shot to help with your temperature."

"What." Tony gasped. "No it's ok. I've been taking cold tablets and they will help."

"I don't think they are strong enough for this." Ducky sighed. "I know you don't like injections but it really is needed. Do you want to call Jimmy or Jethro while I do it?"

"No it's fine." Tony sulked just as the door opened and both Jimmy and Gibbs walked in.

Tony groaned when he saw them.

"Well Duck, is he alright?" Gibbs asked.

"Most certainly not." Ducky replied. "I want to consult with Bradley in the morning, but for now I'm going to give him something to help with his temperature."

"He's already taken cold pills." Jimmy said trying to spare his friend the injection.

"I am aware of that Mr. Palmer." Ducky said. "I am afraid I still need to give him this shot."

Jimmy quickly sat beside Tony on the bed and Gibbs sat behind Tony.

"Look at me and don't pay any attention to Ducky." Jimmy said to Tony and Tony turned to face him.

Gibbs gently put his hands on his agent's shoulders to keep him steady as Ducky prepared the syringe.

Jimmy kept talking to Tony as Ducky approached with the alcohol swab. Tony tensed when he felt it touch his arm and turned to look around.

Jimmy quickly stopped him and kept talking, while Gibbs squeezed his shoulders to offer support. While Tony was again distracted Ducky quickly inserted the syringe causing Tony to gasp.

"It's nearly done Anthony." Ducky assured as he depressed the plunger and finally removed the needle. "Now there all done."

Tony let out a breath he had been holding and looked away from Jimmy and at his arm where a little dot of blood had appeared.

"That should help with your temperature." Ducky assured as he gently cleaned the puncture site. "Now lie down and go back to sleep."

Tony nodded as Jimmy and Gibbs got up. He lay his head down on the pillows and started to pull the blankets back up around him. Gibbs and Jimmy quickly helped him and tucked the covers around him.

"Ah thanks." Tony replied with a smile and closed his eyes.

Gibbs and Ducky left the room but Jimmy stayed, as he was getting ready for bed himself.

"Thanks Jimmy." Tony mumbled when the other two were gone. "I know I was acting like a baby but I really hate injections."

"I know Tony." Jimmy replied "You're welcome, and you were not acting like a baby. Now get some sleep."

"K." Tony agreed and closed his eyes again.

Jimmy quietly turned off the lights and climbed into bed himself.

* * *

_A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews. I was delighted to get so many. Please keep them coming._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jimmy woke numerous times during the night when he heard Tony coughing and twice he had to get up to help Tony sit up and catch his breath.

Jimmy had turned off Tony's alarm so Tony didn't wake until Ducky came in with his bag.

"Anthony." Ducky called. "Time for me to check you."

Tony groaned as he woke from his deep sleep and looked at the time.

"Ugh." He groaned "I didn't go to the gym yet."

"And you won't be." Ducky said as he helped Tony to sit up. "You are much too sick for that. Now I want to have a quick listen to those lungs of yours before I call Bradley."

Tony sat there and did as instructed while Ducky worked.

"Your temperature has still not come down." Ducky said after a few minutes. "I'm afraid I will need to give you another injection"

"Ok." Tony sighed and closed his eyes.

Jimmy again sat beside Tony and kept him distracted. Tony groaned as the needle pierced his flesh and held his breath. As soon as the needle was removed Tony released the breath and started coughing. Jimmy helped him to take two puffs of his inhaler and the coughing fit subsided.

"You should take a shower while I call Bradley." Ducky said and Tony nodded in agreement.

Tony got out of bed and grabbed what he needed for the shower while Ducky returned to his own bedroom to make the call. Tony turned the shower as hot as could handle and stepped in. The hot water helped to ease his aching muscles and to warm him up. When he finished he quickly dried his hair and got dressed for the day. He returned his things to his room, put his inhaler in his pocket and joined the others.

"Shall we go for breakfast?" Ducky said and the other agreed.

They made their way down to the restaurant and saw the other already sitting at a table. They chose a table not far away and sat down. They ordered the food and waited for it to be brought down.

"What did Brad say?" Tony asked.

"He wants to have a look at you himself." Ducky replied "He will be here at lunch time and he will be taking blood."

Tony paled at this but nodded his head. The food arrived then and they all started eating.

Tony only picked at his food but managed to eat enough to keep Ducky off his case. When they were finished they went back up to their floor and into the conference room. The others had just arrived and they were waiting for Anita. She entered the room a few minutes later carrying a large pile of folders.

"Sorry I'm late." She said as she dumped the pile on the desk. "Today I want to concentrate on what everyone thinks of each other. How you would describe each other's personalities."

Anita started passing out the sheets and pens before sitting back down.

"First I want you to write your own name and how you would describe yourself. Then write everyone else's name and how you would describe them."

Everyone got busy writing and it took over half an hour for everyone to finish.

"Next thing I want to go through everyone's education" Anita said and smiled at them, avoiding catching Tony's eye.

"I understand that every NCIS Agent has to have a Bachelors Degree."

"That's correct." Vance replied

"I also understand that this was only brought in maybe 10 years ago." Anita continued.

"Yes." Vance replied again.

"Gibbs you don't have a Degree." Anita said

"No I don't." Gibbs replied. "When I joined NIS these requirements were not in place. I joined the Marines straight out of high school so my education was with the marines. I was a trained sniper so this was enough to get me into NIS back then."

"Very good." Anita replied "Now Ziva, I understand that you also do not have a Bachelors Degree."

"No I do not." Ziva replied "I do have an incomplete for my degree in languages and I have to complete this before I can become a full NCIS agent."

"How is that going for you?" Anita asked.

"I am finding it hard to get time to do this. I also have to study to become an American citizen."

"Ducky, you of course have a Medical Degree and have practised medicine for quite some time."

"Yes that is correct and I also have a degree in psychology which I have recently completed." Ducky replied

"Abby, you have your degree in Chemistry and Forensics, is that correct."

"Yeah that's right." Abby replied happily.

"Tim, yours is in Computers Forensics from MIT and also one from Johns Hopkins for Biomedical Engineering."

"Yes that's right." McGee replied with a smug smile. "I have a Masters Degree in computers."

"Leon you also have a degree in computers."

"Yes." Vance replied.

"Jimmy you are still studying for your Medical degree." Anita continued.

"Yeah I study at night and go to night classes." Jimmy replied

"Very good. I'm sure working with Ducky helps a lot." Anita said.

"Yes, very much so. Tony has also been helping me study." Jimmy added.

"Ah yes Tony, you have a Bachelors degree in Physical Education, which would have involved a lot of physiology and fitness."

"Yeah there were a lot of different aspects to the degree." Tony replied and held back a cough. "I did courses in chemistry and effects of chemicals on the body. Of course there was basic first aid, sports related injury treatment. There was a lot to learn about the body and the working of the body."

"I see here that you also done Psychology as part of the course work." Anita said.

"Yes, you need to be able to get into the mind frame of the Athletes you deal with and I did a rotation with a psychologist."

"You also have a degree in Criminal Psychology and Profiling." Anita said. "That's not in your file but I came across it while I was researching the team."

"Um yeah." Tony replied after taking a drink of water to stop another cough. "I completed that Degree after I had started with NCIS so it wasn't added to my file."

"You started doing the courses for this while you were still a police officer." Anita asked.

"Yeah there were a few different courses that had to be completed so it took a while to do them at night."

"Oh I also see that you started a computer course." Anita added.

"Yeah but I don't get much time to do it. It's going to take a while to finish it." Tony said and threw a dirty look at Anita.

"That's how you managed to get that Virus on my computer." McGee said loudly. "And how you knew how to remove it."

"Yeah." Tony replied with a little grin.

"What virus." Vance asked.

"Oh it was nothing harmful." McGee replied. "It just made life awkward. Tony bet me that he could get rid of it when I couldn't. I didn't believe him but now I see how he managed it."

"Cool." Abby said. "Why to go Tony."

"The time has gone very quick this morning." Anita said. "We'll meet back here at 2 o clock. That'll give you just over two hours."

The group quickly left the room and went to their own rooms to grab their coats.

Ducky placed a quick call to Brad and arranged to meet him at one o clock at the hotel. They then all met up and went to get some lunch. Tony started coughing as soon as he hit the cold air and wrapped his scarf around his mouth. They went to a little Bistro they had seen the night before. They sat at two tables and placed their orders.

"Tony I seriously can't believe you got one up on Mr. MIT." Abby laughed as they waited for the food. "Timmy you must have been so mad."

"Yeah." Tim replied unhappily.

The food was brought down a minute later and they all started eating. Soon they had finished and sat back to relax for a while.

"Tony you didn't eat much." Abby observed as she was sitting across from Tony. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I have a cold." Tony admitted as he sniffled a bit. "I'm just not really hungry."

"Oh Tony you have to take care of yourself." Abby said. "Have you been to the doctor? Have you told Ducky?"

"I'm meeting Brad in a while." Tony replied "Ducky knows too."

"Good, that's good." Abby said "Cause I don't want you getting sick and I really do like you and I know I didn't seem to know a lot about you, but I promise I will. I think you are really good and I always wanted you back and you are way better than McGee and Ziva."

"Abby breathe." Tony interrupted. "I know Abby; I don't blame you for not knowing that stuff about me. We haven't spent much time together recently."

"Well that is going to change mister." Abby said. "You so have to come bowling with me. You're good and when you are feeling better we are so going clubbing."

"Yeah sure." Tony replied

"And Jimmy can come too." Abby added and nodded to Jimmy. "Since when have you too become such good friends?"

"Since Gibbs went to Mexico." Tony replied

"We did not realise that you were friendly with Jimmy at all." Ziva, who was also sitting at the table, said.

"There were a lot of things ye didn't notice at that time." Jimmy said under his breath.

"What do you mean by that?" Ziva asked angrily.

"Nothing it doesn't matter." Jimmy replied quickly. "Just forget it."

"Please tell us." Abby said kindly "We want to know."

"None of you noticed how run down Tony was. Or how much it hurt him when you compared him to Gibbs, or criticised his methods. And you were just plain mean when Gibbs came back."

"Um no we didn't notice any of that." Abby admitted. "I'm sorry Tony, I was too caught up in my own world to notice."

"It's ok Abbs." Tony replied with a smile. "It's because of that that Jimmy and I became friends. He listened to me and made sure I was ok."

"Thanks Jimmy." Abby said. "You're a good guy."

"Anthony." Ducky interrupted. "We should get going. Brad will be along shortly."

"Oh yeah ok." Tony replied and reluctantly stood up and put on his coat.

Jimmy also stood and got ready to leave.

"Where are you going Jimmy?" Abby asked.

"Um, with Tony." Jimmy replied and the three walked out the door.

"Gibbs why did Jimmy go with Tony." Abby called to the next table.

"Because he is worried about him." Gibbs replied "He has noticed Tony has been ill for a few days."

"We didn't" Abby said sadly. "I can't believe he has been sick all week and we didn't notice."

"Abby relax." Gibbs said. "He's going to be fine."

"Yeah maybe." Abby agreed. "Is he ok Gibbs? A lot was said yesterday and it can't have been nice for Tony to hear all of that."

"I don't know Abbs." Gibbs replied "But I wouldn't blame him for being pissed. He was basically told he was not wanted and not respected. How would you feel?"

"I know." Abby sighed and lapsed into silence.

Tony, Ducky and Jimmy had just arrived when they saw Brad enter, carrying a few bags. He also had a nurse with him.

"Ducky." Brad greeted. "How's our patient."

"I'm fine." Tony said "Hey Brad."

"Hello Tony." Brad replied and turned to Jimmy. "Do I know you?"

"I'm Jimmy Palmer; I'm a friend of Tony's"

"Ah yes. I have heard quite a bit about you. Tony says you are going to make a great doctor."

"Tony's biased." Jimmy replied with a smile.

"We should get up stairs." Ducky said and led the way to their room.

Tony pulled off his coat and sat on the couch waiting for Brad's instructions. Brad prepared his equipment and then turned to Tony.

"I'm just going to listen to your lungs and heart." Brad said as he put on his stethoscope. "Laura here is going to take your temperature and blood pressure."

The two went about checking Tony and Brad wrote down the results.

"I'm going to need you to blow into this for me." Brad said holding up a tube for breathing exercises.

Tony did as instructed but started coughing. He tried a few more times but each time resulted in a coughing fit. Brad eventually gave up and let Tony relax for a few minutes while he examined the results.

"Tony I think this has gone past a cold." Brad said. "I'm going to take some blood and I'll get it run straight away. I'll come back later this evening to check on you. For now I'm going to give you some broad spectrum antibiotics until we know the exact cause."

"Ok." Tony replied unhappily.

Brad prepared the syringe while Laura cleaned the crook of Tony's elbow. Jimmy quickly sat beside Tony and squeezed his shoulder to offer some comfort.

"Tony, I know you don't like this." Brad said. "Jimmy, talk to him and keep him calm."

Jimmy nodded and started talking to Tony to keep him distracted. Brad held Tony's arm tightly and inserted the needle. Tony jumped when he felt this and bit his lip. Brad started to draw the blood and Tony whimpered slightly. When Brad had four vials of blood, he eased the needle out and Laura put pressure on the puncture site.

"You're doing great Tony." Brad assured "Now I'm just going to give you a shot of antibiotic and something to keep your temperature down."

"Can't I just take a pill?" Tony pleaded.

"No Tony, you need something to act fast and this is the best way. I know you don't like injections but I'll be as quick as I can."

Tony nodded and again Jimmy held his shoulder, while Ducky done the same at the other side. Again Laura swabbed the area and Brad quickly injected the two syringes.

"Now I don't want you going outside if you don't have to." Brad said. "Relax as much as possible and if you get the chance to sleep, take it. I'll be back as soon as I have the results."

"Thanks Brad." Tony replied with a smile.

"And keep taking your inhaler" Brad said as he packed up his things. "I'll see you later."

"See ya." Tony called and then went to the bedroom. "I'll lie down for half an hour."

"That's good." Ducky said. "We will see you soon."

Ducky and Jimmy sat down and waited for Gibbs to return. They talked for a while about everything that had happened over the past few days. Gibbs returned a few minutes before they were due to return. Jimmy woke Tony and they went back to the room. When they were all seated Anita began.

"I went through your answers during lunch and I'm going to go through them now. Ducky, this is a combination of all of the answer to describe you.

Chatty, wise, ,caring Kind, intelligent, generous, good natured, gentle, thorough, likable, logical, precise, fascinating, interesting, passionate, eccentric, happy, and centred.

"Ziva: Clever, firm, reliable, deadly, sociable, efficient, independent, logical, motivated precise, versatile, strong willed, resourceful, frightening, ninja, lethal.

Abby: Cheerful, Individualistic, imaginative, creative, trusting, loyal, friendly, good natured, eccentric, energetic, caf pow addict, likable, confident, exuberant Bubbly, Bowling enthusiast,.

Tim: Smart, intelligent clever, Computer geek, creative, practical, gentle, writer, imaginative, creative.

Leon: Serious, mean, intelligent, secretive, tenacious, motivated, self confident, demanding, determined, firm

Jimmy: Quiet, gentle, friendly, intelligent, clever, loyal, kind, shy, smart, trustworthy, honest, hopeful

Tony: Lady's man, player, joker, childish, clever, resourceful, self confident, kind, inventive, imaginative, loyal, easy going, friendly, sociable, trustworthy, versatile, courageous, lazy, generous, humours, loyal, reliable, selfless, serious, unconventional, movie buff, smart

Gibbs: Coffee addict, loyal, serious, determined, efficient, reliable, insightful, smart, motivated, practical, precise, resourceful. Gruff, Papa Bear."

"Now I just want to go through a few of these," Anita continued. "These are just thing's I don't see and want further explanation."

"Ducky, you are described as being eccentric. Can you explain why that is?"

"Ah well I think that would be because I talk to my patients whom are nearly all dead."

"Ah I see and why do you do this."

"It makes me feel a bit better." Ducky replied with a smile. "Otherwise dealing with the dead would become a bit depressing."

"Yes I agree with you." Anita said "And what do you do on your down time to help deal with this."

"I have many interests my dear. I love to go to the ballet or to shows. I restore my car myself and I was studying for quite some time. All of these are escapes for me."

"Ziva, deadly and frightening. They are interesting. Why would they be used to describe you?"

"I am a trained killer." Ziva replied. "Those words are accurate."

"And what do you do to unwind and relax."

"I enjoy playing the piano to relax and I enjoy many forms of Martial Arts to unwind." Ziva replied.

"Abby you are a bowling enthusiast and a caf pow addict."

"I wouldn't say I'm an addict." Abby replied with a smile. "I mean I have only had two today. I normally have about 5 a day. If I was an addict I would need more, right?"

"Alright." Anita agreed with a smile. "So tell me about bowling."

"I'm on a bowling team with a group of nuns. I love to bowl and the sisters are great fun."

"And is this what you do to de stress."

"No if I want to de Stress I go clubbing. I love to dance and party." Abby replied with a smile

"Ok Tim you were described as creative and a writer, also unimaginative. Tell me about this."

"Well I have written a novel." Tim replied. "I write to relax and also play on the computer."

"What is the book called?"

"Deep Six." Tim replied

"I read that." Anita said. "Oh my, you wrote it about your colleagues didn't you. I can see that now. Agent Tommy and Agent Lisa. I'm sure Tony and Ziva were upset when it came out."

"Yeah, Tony more so." Tim replied.

"Yes I can understand why." Anita replied "Ok Leon. Secretive, demanding"

"Yes well I do not share my thoughts with the others and it can be considered secretive. I am a demanding boss, but I think I am fair."

"And mean?"

"Well I think that would stem from when I separated the team."

"What do you do to unwind."

"I spend time with my wife and kids and sometimes I play golf."

"Ok Jimmy, shy and trustworthy.

"I suppose I do come across shy but I'm not really. It just takes me a while to be comfortable around people. Trustworthy, I don't know about that."

"Who do you think wrote that?" Anita asked.

"Tony trusts me, so I would think it was him." Jimmy replied and smiled at Tony.

"Tony do you trust him."

"Yeah, I trust him with everything." Tony replied.

"And what do you do to relax."

"I love to read and watch movies." Jimmy replied

"Tony you had the biggest ranges of words to describe you. Someone said childish. It's not something I see, but tell me why that would have been included."

"I pull a lot of pranks at the office." Tony replied. "It could be called childish."

"Why do you pull pranks?"

"To lighten the mood. We deal with people dying every day and we need something to keep us normal." Tony replied

"And what do you do to relax."

"I watch movies." Tony replied followed by a cough.

"What kinds of movies."

"Everything and anything." Tony replied with a smile. "I love watching reruns of old TV shows and of course some of the new TV shows."

"Why the fascination with them."

"When I was sick, I used to watch TV nearly all day. My parents weren't around much so I watched a lot of movies and I still love to watch them." Tony explained and coughed some more.

"And finally Gibbs Can you explain the Papa Bear statement."

"Well I'm sure that was from Abby, so you should ask her." Gibbs replied with a small smile.

"Well what I meant by that is that he gets really protective when one of his team is hurt or sick." Abby replied with a grin.

"You get sick or hurt a lot then." Anita asked.

"Well no I don't, but Tony is always getting hurt or captured or sick or framed for murder and when someone was trying to kill me he was really protective."

"Have Tim and Ziva not been hurt." Anita asked.

"Um, yeah Tim had a dislocated shoulder once and Ziva had bruises on her face and Tony had a broken nose."

"So Gibbs was protective then."

"Um no not really." Abby replied "The guy who done it, it wasn't really his fault and the team was ok, well Tony was a bit loopy from the pain killers, but they were all able to go home."

"I see. All right then Gibbs, what do you do to relax."

"I build boats." Gibbs replied.

"In his basement." Tony added and then coughed slightly.

"Only talk when you have to Tony, it makes you cough," Gibbs said kindly.

"Ok." Tony replied.

"How do you get the boats out?"

"He won't tell anyone." Tony replied and coughed again.

Gibbs gave him a look and he shut his mouth and pretended to zip it closed.

"Ok then." Anita said "Tony I noticed you've been coughing, are you all right?"

Tony looked at Gibbs and didn't say a word but then nodded in answer to the question.

"He's not all right." Gibbs said with a sigh. "He has a chest infection."

"Oh, that's too bad." Anita replied. "Are you taking anything for it?"

"His doctor came today to do blood tests." Ducky said "He will be returning this evening to let us know the prognoses. We hope he will not have to be admitted to the hospital."

"Isn't that a bit extreme for a chest infection." Vance said and looked at the others.

"I'm sure you will remember seeing in Tony's file that he contracted pneumonic plague." Ducky said. "A cold could be deadly for him due to the scaring on his lungs."

"So a chest infection is bad." Anita said and looked at Tony's file. "You had the plague over 4 years ago."

Tony nodded in response but started coughing anyway. He looked at Gibbs and shrugged his shoulders.

"It says here that you jumped into the freezing water to save someone last year."

Tony again nodded.

"Even though you knew it could kill you." Anita asked.

"They would have died if I hadn't." Tony said and again started coughing.

Gibbs glared at him but when the cough turned into a coughing fit, Gibbs expression changed to worry. Jimmy got some water and helped Tony to drink some and the fit came to an end. Tony pulled out his inhaler and took two puffs before slumping back in his chair.

"Ok, I'll leave you alone for a while Tony." Anita said kindly. "Why don't you go lie down for a while? We don't have much more today anyway."

Tony thought for a minute and then nodded in agreement. He slowly stood up and made his way out of the room. He went to his room and after piling up some pillows, he lay back in a reclined position and fell asleep.

Meanwhile the others continued talking in the other room.

"Now while Tony is away I think we will take the time to talk about him." Anita said.

"Is that fair." Jimmy said "I mean it isn't fair to him."

"I know it may feel that way but I think that with everything he has heard over the past few days it would be better not to upset him any further."

"Ok." Jimmy agreed reluctantly.

"Now from what I've seen here, I think that Tony is the heart of the team. He has been with Gibbs the longest and I think he helps you all deal with everything. When Gibbs left for Mexico, Tony took over running the team. Is that correct?"

"Yeah." Tim agreed.

"And from what I've read he did a good job. He held everyone together."

"Well he led the team." Ziva replied.

"You do not think that he did a good job." Anita asked.

"He was alright." Ziva replied.

"Did your closure rate drop during the time?"

"Well no." McGee replied "We still closed everything."

"Did you have to work more hours?"

"No not really." Ziva admitted.

"Was he unreasonable?"

"No." they both replied together.

"So tell me what he did that you didn't approve of. " Anita said.

"Well firstly he was acting like Gibbs." Ziva said.

"Then he started changing things around." McGee added.

"So you weren't happy when he was trying to keep things the same and you weren't happy when he tried to change things." Anita said and looked at both of them. They both looked down at their hands embarrassed. "So what happened when Gibbs returned?"

"We arrived in that morning and all our things were back on our old desks and Gibbs was there." McGee replied.

"Were you upset by this?"

"No we were all delighted to see Gibbs back." Ziva replied.

"So things went back to normal?" Anita asked

"It took some time." Ziva replied. "Gibbs was not quite himself and Tony was very distant and secretive."

"It turned out that Tony had been working an undercover operation while Gibbs was away and he continued when Gibbs returned." McGee added.

"So Tony had been doing the Team lead job, half of the senior agent's job and running an undercover op." Anita said surprised. "And he managed to do everything well."

"Um yeah." McGee admitted.

"I think the lad did a wonderful job." Ducky added "He was very diligent and was never late for work. He always had time to share what was going on during a case with Abby, Jimmy and I. I did notice that he seemed very tired and he was no longer his cheerful self."

"He still brought me Caf Pows everyday and made sure I was Ok. He was always busy so I didn't really notice if he was tired or not." Abby said sadly.

"Jimmy." Anita said. "You seem to know Tony the best, how was he during this time."

"Well it was while Gibbs was away that I got to know Tony." Jimmy started. "He was always really busy and tired but he used to talk to me about cases and run ideas off me. The way the rest of the team were acting upset him but he tried not to show it. Ziva and Tim kept comparing the way he did things to Gibbs and then kept telling him he wasn't Gibbs when he tried to do things like Gibbs. Abby had pictures of Gibbs all over the place and again kept telling him he wasn't Gibbs. They scoffed at all the ideas Tony brought to the team although some of them actually worked better."

"Did they show him disrespect?"

"I don't know. I didn't see everything that happened." Jimmy replied "They seemed to follow his orders in the field and Tony never said that they didn't."

"How did he feel when Gibbs came back and was effectively demoted?" Anita asked.

"He was glad Gibbs was back and didn't really mind not leading the team but the way the team acted hurt him."

"Why what happened." Anita asked.

"Well Tim basically told Tony that he must not have done a good job because he wasn't offered his own team." Jimmy said "Tim also got annoyed when Tony called him Probie; he's always called him Probie."

"Tim is that correct, you didn't think he deserved his own team." Anita asked.

"Well I thought that if the director thought that he did a good job he would have been given his own team. When she didn't I assumed she didn't think he was good enough."

"Did you think he was good enough?"

"Well, yeah I suppose, maybe."

"Tony was offered his own team." Anita continued and everyone other than Jimmy and Vance seemed very surprised. "He was offered the position in Rota Spain."

"That must have been a while after Gibbs was back otherwise he would have rubbed it in my face." Tim said shocked. "That would have been a great position. A lot of people wanted that job."

"He was offered the job the same day as Gibbs returned." Anita replied after checking the file. "He turned it down the following day."

"I can't believe he didn't tell us. He always wants attention." McGee said

"Oh wow. We didn't know that." Abby gasped. "Why didn't he go?"

"He didn't want to leave his friends and team." Jimmy replied "This is the longest he stayed in a job and at the time he still liked it here."

"What do you mean liked. He still likes it here right." Abby nearly yelled.

"Would you?" Jimmy asked softly. "I would have left already."

"If he leaves, I'll quit." Abby said and looked to Vance, Ziva and McGee. "It will not be the same without him. When he was agent afloat it was horrible and I hated coming into work every day. He always cheers me up."

"He's not going to quit Abby." Gibbs assured. "Where would he go?"

"I don't know." Abby sighed "But I'm sure he'll find a job."

"The FBI wants him." Jimmy added "And I know someone from the CIA gave him his card."

"Oh my God we can't let him go to them." Abby gasped.

"The LA office has also asked about him." Vance added. "They have heard about his undercover work and think he may fit in well."

"I would be very upset if Anthony were to leave us." Ducky said.

"Me too." Abby added sadly. "We will just have to make sure he doesn't go."

"Your homework for tonight is to think about how you would feel if Tony were to leave." Anita said. "How would things be different and how would it affect the team. I think we will leave it there for now but Tim, I want to give you something to think about. You said Tony is always looking for attention."

Tim nodded in response.

"When you were a child, your parents showered you with attention, they probably still do. Tony didn't have that. I think the only attention he got was negative. Think about how you would feel and if you would act the same way."

Tim looked very thoughtful and again nodded his head before the group left the room.

"Tony will not be going out for dinner tonight." Jimmy said. "Brad told him to stay out of the cold so he will have dinner here. I'll stay with him."

"Me too." Abby added.

"I will also be staying with him." Ducky added "I need to be here in case Brad returns."

"How about we all stay here for dinner." Gibbs suggested.

"Sure." Vance agreed. "Call us when you are ready to go and we can go down then."

"Alright." Gibbs agreed and they went to their separate rooms.

"I'll check on Tony." Gibbs said and quietly made his way to his agent's room and went inside.

Tony was curled up under the covers and had then pulled tightly around them. Gibbs gently put his hand on Tony's forehead and felt the heat radiating from it.

"Hey Tony." He called.

"Huh." Tony mumbled and opened his eyes. "Oh hey boss, are you done already."

"Yeah just finished now." Gibbs replied. "Are you feeling ok?"

"I'm ok." Tony assured and coughed a little. "Is Brad here yet?"

"No he won't be here for another hour or two. Do you want to get something to eat?"

"Um yeah but I'll just get something in the hotel."

"We are all eating in the hotel restaurant tonight." Gibbs assured with a smile. "Take your time getting up."

"K boss." Tony replied and when Gibbs was gone, he slowly got out of bed.

He slowly got dressed and then made his way to the bathroom. When he was tidied up a bit he joined the others. Gibbs placed a quick call to Abby and then they left the room. They met the others at their room and they all went downstairs together.

"Are you ok Tony?" Abby asked as she linked her arm through Tony's

"I'm ok Abbs." he assured again.

The restaurant was nearly empty, so they were seated straight away. Two tables were moved together to accommodate the large group. This time Abby made sure that Tony was sitting near the middle of the table, with her on one side, Gibbs on the other and Jimmy across from him.

Tony was getting a weird feeling from the group and every time he looked at someone they smiled at him. It was slightly unnerving. He gave a small smile back and turned back to his menu. Tony ordered soup to start and ordered a beef stew for his main course. Ducky smiled happily at the younger mans choice of foods. When the food arrived everyone seemed to be watching what Tony ate. Tony looked around at the group uncomfortably when he noticed this.

"Um what are you looking at?" Tony asked after a few minutes. "You're kinda creeping me out."

"Sorry Anthony." Ducky said with a smile. "We are just worried about you and are glad to see you are eating."

"Oh ok." Tony said and continued eating his soup.

Soon the first course was finished and the main course was brought down. Tony started eating his stew but after a few spoonfuls, he couldn't manage anymore. He played around with it for a few minutes before giving up totally and sitting back to relax. The others all ordered desert after the food but Tony only ordered a hot chocolate.

"So, um, Tony." Abby said "Do you like your new apartment?"

Tony coughed a bit and then answered. "Um yeah it's nice. It has two bedrooms, a big sitting room and a nice kitchen. It's much better than my old one."

"So you won't be leaving there any time soon." She probed further.

"Um I don't know." Tony replied. "But you should come over some night."

"Yeah I'd like that." Abby replied "We could all come over some night and have a movie night."

"Um, yeah, if you want." Tony replied as he took a sip of his drink.

"We would like that very much." Ziva added.

"Yeah definitely." McGee agreed.

"What the hell did the shrink say while I wasn't there?" Tony asked angrily.

"What do you mean?" Abby asked

"You are all acting really nice." Tony said. "You haven't been nice in quite some time."

"What, I'm always nice." Abby cried.

"I didn't mean you Abby." Tony said. "You are always nice but none of you have actually given a damn about me or what I've been doing?"

"Tony we....

"Tony is right Abby." McGee interrupted. "We really haven't been that nice, especially me. All the talking over the past few days has just made us realise it."

"Right." Tony sighed just as Ducky's phone started ringing.

Ducky hung up a minute later and turned to Tony.

"Bradley is here and will meet us in the lobby."

"Ok let's go." Tony sighed.

Jimmy and Gibbs also stood up and followed them out of the restaurant.

"Hey guys." Brad greeted. "Let's go upstairs."

Gibbs led the way to the rooms with Ducky and Brad walking behind talking. When they reached the room Tony again sat on the couch and waited for Brad.

Brad pulled out his equipment and checked Tony over.

"Well Doc." Gibbs said impatiently

"Tony has a bad chest infection." Brad sighed. "I'm going to put you on a strong course of antibiotics and some Tylenol to help with the temperature."

"Ok." Tony agreed.

"Ducky, he will need to be watched over the next few days to make sure it doesn't get any worse." Brad continued. "I know you don't like hospitals so I want to avoid that. You will need to keep drinking plenty of fluids so you don't become dehydrated."

"Ok." Tony replied.

"Plenty of rest and avoid going outside." Brad continued. "If your temperature goes up past 102 you are to contact me immediately and also if the coughing fits get too bad."

"Will do." Gibbs replied as Brad handed him Tony's pills.

"And make sure he takes them three times a day." Brad added as he cleared up his things. "Call me tomorrow and let me know how he is."

"Thanks Brad." Tony said with a smile.

"Anything for my favourite patient." Brad replied. "Now start on those pills tonight and get some sleep."

"Ok." Tony replied as Brad waved goodbye and left the room.

"I suppose I should go to bed." Tony said as he stood up.

"Only if you want to." Gibbs said.

"I'm kinda tired." Tony admitted. "You guys don't have to stay here because of me."

"I'm going to stay and do some study." Jimmy said "I haven't done any all week."

"I am going to stay in with a good book." Ducky said. "I am getting too old for going out every night. Now you get some sleep young man but take your pills first."

"Yes sir." Tony replied and went to the bathroom.

He returned a few minutes later and took his pill.

"Night" he called and went to the bedroom.

He changed out of his clothes and climbed into bed. After taking his inhaler he lay down and quickly fell asleep.

Gibbs rang Abby to let her know how Tony got on and that they would be staying in for the night. Abby was upset with Gibbs but she understood why they were staying in. Vance also decided to stay in for the night while Abby, McGee and Ziva went to a bar.

The night passed in silence for Gibbs, Ducky and Jimmy only occasionally interrupted by coughing from Tony. They all decided to go to bed early and face the following day fresh.

Tony slept through the night without waking. He continued coughing but it wasn't enough to interrupt the much needed sleep.

* * *

_A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews. I haven't gotten around to replying to them all yet but I will. Please keep them coming._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When morning came, Jimmy gently woke Tony and after Ducky checked him over, they all went down for breakfast. Tony didn't manage to eat much of it and the others tried not to pay too much attention to this. They returned to the conference room and found Anita already there.

"Good Morning." She greeted everyone. "Tony, how are you feeling today?"

"I'm fine." Tony replied "It's just a chest infection."

"Are you on antibiotics?" she asked.

"Yes he is." Gibbs answered. "Very strong ones."

"I see, well I will try not to have you talking too much today."

"Thanks." Tony replied and settled into his seat.

"Ok today I think we need we should continue getting to know each other better." Anita said. "What I'm going to do is ask a series of questions and I want you to answer them honestly. If there is something you don't wish to answer then just leave it blank."

Everyone nodded and picked up their pens to write their answers.

The next two hours were spent writing down the answers to a long list of question. The question varied from 'Who was your first love' to 'Have you been hurt by someone you've trusted'. Anita didn't hold back on the questions and she could tell that some of the team were uncomfortable with the questions.

"We'll break for lunch and when we come back we will go through these answers." Anita said as she picked up the papers. "I'll see you in two hours."

"Ah boss I'm going to lie down." Tony said as they walked out of the room.

"Ok Tony, I'll bring you back some soup." Gibbs replied as he noted Tony's pale complexion. "You get some rest."

Tony went straight to the bedroom and wrapped himself up in the blankets. He found it hard to fall asleep but he did eventually.

The others went to a restaurant near the hotel for lunch. The conversation was casual and they avoided talking about the therapy sessions. They stayed there for a while after they finished eating and Gibbs ordered some soup and sandwiches to bring back to Tony.

When they returned to the hotel room, Gibbs set the food on the table and Jimmy woke Tony. Tony got dressed and slumped into the seat beside Gibbs

"Eat some food and take your pills." Gibbs instructed as he push the bowl forward.

Tony picked up the spoon and took two mouthfuls before he started coughing.

"Do you need help?" Gibbs asked and picked up the bowl.

"I'm ok boss." Tony assured, embarrassed that Gibbs offered to help.

Tony again took the spoon and ate a little bit more. He took a few bites of the sandwich before giving up.

Gibbs handed Tony the pills and Tony swallowed them with some water.

After Tony went to the bathroom, they returned to the conference room where Anita and the others were waiting.

"Ok now we are going to go through our answers from earlier. Tony I will read out yours so you don't have to talk."

"Thanks." Tony replied uncomfortably.

For the next hour Anita read out the questions and then everyone read what they had written down.

Eventually they got to the question that Tony was dreading. "Have you ever been hurt by someone you've trusted."

The answers that came back were varied. Ziva said her feelings were hurt by her father on a few occasion and she felt betrayed by him and no longer trusted him. Ducky said he was hurt by his father leaving the family. Gibbs said he was hurt by his mother's death and by his father bringing a date to his wife and child's funeral. Abby said that she was hurt when Gibbs left for Mexico. The others all answered no. Then Anita read out Tony's answer which simply said 'Yes'

"Tony you don't have to answer." Anita started "But who hurt you and was it emotionally or physically."

"There are a few people and a few times." Tony replied and looked down at his hand so he didn't have to anyone's eyes.

"Ok." Anita said and waited for Tony to continue.

"I was hurt by Gibbs." Tony started and after a cough continued. "When he left for Mexico and again when he didn't include me in investigations. I was also hurt by director Sheppard. She used me and it caused more than one person to be hurt."

"Who else?" Anita asked

"My parents." Tony replied again and started coughing again.

"Emotionally or physically?" Anita asked softly

"Both." Tony admitted with a sigh.

"Did they hit you often?" Anita asked.

"Only sometimes when I annoyed them." Tony replied "They were mostly too drunk to notice me."

"Did they ever put you in hospital?" Anita asked.

"My father did once." Tony sighed "But we had our own doctor who took care of most things."

"I'm sorry that happened to you." Anita said with a sad smile. "I'll leave you alone now, but thank you for sharing that I know it wasn't easy."

Tony nodded and then Anita continued going through the rest of the answers.

They all learned a lot about each other from the answered but their minds were all on what Tony had admitted and they were happy when it finally finished.

"Are we going to the restaurant downstairs for dinner?" Abby asked as they left the room.

"Yeah." Gibbs replied. "Meet us there in 20 minutes."

Tony went to the bedroom and returned a few minutes later with his inhaler in his hand.

"Sit down lad; I want to have a look at you." Ducky said as he pulled open his medical bag.

Tony did as instructed without complaint and Ducky started taking readings with some help from Jimmy.

"Your temperature has risen another bit." Ducky said when he had finished. "Your lungs don't sound any better either."

"What does that mean Duck?" Gibbs asked.

"Just that the medicine hasn't started working yet. I will check him again tomorrow Jethro."

"Alright." Gibbs sighed. "Come on and let's get dinner."

The group walked slowly to the restaurant as Tony was still feeling tired. Again they all sat at one big table and after a few minutes they placed their orders. Tony ordered some pasta but again only picked at it while the others ate hungrily.

When dinner was finished Gibbs suggested that everyone should return to their suite so that they could talk without Anita there and everyone agreed.

Abby, Ziva, Jimmy and McGee volunteered to go and get some drinks and snacks to keep them happy while they were there. Vance returned to his own room to make a call to his family and Ducky, Gibbs and Tony returned to the room. Tony took his pills and then sat down on the couch to wait for the others. Ducky and Gibbs went to all three bedrooms and brought out some more chairs. Ducky noticed that although Tony still had a temperature, he was shivering and cold. Ducky went to Tony's bedroom and brought out some blankets and helped Tony to get settled into them. Gibbs had just sat down beside Tony when Vance knocked on the door. Ducky was already standing opened it and invited the director in. Vance sat in one of the arm chairs and Ducky took the other one. They only had to wait a few minutes for the others to return, carrying numerous bags. They laid out the goodies on the table and then Jimmy sat beside Gibbs and others took the chairs.

"Where should we start?" McGee asked breaking the silence.

"How about we start with what we learned today." Gibbs suggested and everyone nodded in agreement. "Ziva, you are now part of the team here and we are trying to trust you again."

"I understand that Gibbs." Ziva replied "I need to earn all of your trust again."

"Good, now what I need to know is how feel about your father and Mossad."

"I do not trust my father therefore I do not trust Mossad." Ziva admitted. "I have realised that he has used me all of my life and I am not happy about that. I do not wish to have any contact with him going forward. My place is here now with all of you. I trust all of you and hope that you can all learn to trust me again."

"Good." Gibbs said "Is everyone ok with this? Does anyone have any doubts?"

Everyone shook their heads no and Gibbs continued.

"Ziva when you left us, you told me that you couldn't trust Tony. Do you still feel that way?"

"No." Ziva replied "When I said that, I was still hurting from the loss of Michael and from what I had discovered about my father. Tony, I believe that your report of the fight was truthful and I am sorry I did not believe you. You have always had my six so I should have believed you. I do trust you Tony and I owe you my life. I know I still need to earn back your trust and I will keep trying until I do. I also want to thank you for everything, for getting my father to admit that he had sent Michael to be with me and for rescuing me. I did not think I would survive"

"You're welcome." Tony replied with a tired smile.

Ziva returned his smile and Gibbs turned to McGee.

"McGee, you said you think you are better than Tony."

"I think I'm better at computers." Tim replied.

"Yes and Tony has on many occasion acknowledged that." Gibbs said. "Do you think you are better at field work or undercover work?"

"Um," McGee stuttered.

"Well I have news for you McGee, you are not." Gibbs replied harshly and everyone looked shocked. "You will be a good agent one day but you have to remember that most of your experience has been office based. Tony has been a cop for years and has a lot experience under his belt. Tony will fit in anywhere, be it a business function or a gang meeting. You can't do that. You don't have the confidence or the experience to be able to do that. When you were sent to the cyber crimes unit you had people who looked to you for guidance and looked up to you and you were good as a leader because you are good with computers. That isn't the case in the field. You still don't have the balls or the authority to lead a team in the field."

"I know I'm not ready to lead a team." McGee interrupted.

"Tony is." Gibbs replied "And has been for quite a few years now. If it wasn't for Tony you won't be half the agent you are now. Do you remember how shy and timid you were when you joined our team?"

"Yeah Timmy you could hardly string a sentence together." Abby said

"Well um yeah." Tim replied nervously.

"Tony kept picking on you until you grew a spine." Gibbs continued. "He is your superior and you should show him respect or you will be off the team."

"Yes boss." McGee replied. "Sorry Tony I ah, I wasn't thinking. I know you are brilliant at under cover ops and you are a great agent. When I was in Cyber crimes the others looked to me as their boss. I got used to respect they showed me. Director Vance had me doing classified research for him and I suppose I got an ego boost. When you came back I guess I felt threatened. I could never do what you do undercover and I know that and I know I couldn't run the team. You really did a great job when Gibbs was away and I'm sorry I was a jerk."

"Thanks Tim." Tony replied and started coughing.

Gibbs grabbed one of the drinks from the table and helped Tony to drink some.

"Ok Leon." Gibbs continued. "The reason that I wanted Tony back was to watch my six. You have your own agenda and although I don't know what it is, you will need good agents on your side when the shit hits the fan. Jenny lost Tony's trust and things may have turned out different for her if she hadn't. She had her own agenda too and it caused a lot of hurt. I won't let that happen again and I know Tony won't either. Tony and I may not be computer geniuses, but if you left a team of geeks alone for the week someone would be dead. You can be guaranteed."

"I may not have originally wanted you back Tony." Vance replied. "But since you have been back I have seen why Gibbs wants you on his team. I still think computers are the way forward but I think good old fashioned detective skills are still needed. I saw how determined you were to go to Africa and I'm glad to have you on the team. You risked your life to save Ziva and I've seen your bravery, your loyalty and your determination. I was shocked when you caught Director David out and got him to admit what he had done. I have never seen him so flustered in an interrogation. I am also impressed that you are doing a computer course and with the other courses you have completed. I will make sure to add it to your file. I think I judged you by what I saw and I was too stubborn to look deeper and I am sorry about that."

"Thanks." Tony replied again.

"Abby, Tony is not me and never will be. He is his own person and is better than me in a lot of things. He ran the team remarkably well while I was away and it could happen again. I'm not getting any younger and soon I'll have to quit being a field agent."

"I know that Gibbs, I was just upset."

"I know that Abby, but you can't take it out on others." Gibbs sighed.

"Ok Gibbs." Abby sighed unhappily. "Tony I'm sorry too. You did a great job while Gibbs was away and you'd make a great team lead. I'm sorry I made you feel bad. I really didn't mean to."

"Thanks Abbs." Tony replied with a small smile.

"Palmer." Gibbs said. "We do not mean to leave you out or ignore you. You do your job really well and we do appreciate you. I'm glad you were there for Tony when he needed you."

"Ah thanks." Jimmy replied as his face coloured slightly.

"Ducky, we do love listening to your stories and it's not that we find you boring but sometimes we are busy and don't have time to listen to them."

"I understand Jethro." Ducky replied "I don't mean to go on so much, it just happens."

"We know Duck." Gibbs replied. "Tony, I trust you with my life and I know that I have left you out of some things but I thought at the time that I was protecting you. I realise that I was wrong and I can't promise it won't happen again but I'll try to make sure it doesn't. You followed your gut and you saved my life and Maddie's. I have worked with you longer than I have ever worked with anyone else including Mike and I would not want anyone else on my six. I do care about you as more than just an agent, you are like family."

Tony was shocked at what Gibbs had said and all he could do is nod in reply.

"And finally, I know I am a bastard and I have never denied it. I do care about you all and don't be afraid to let me know if I screw up. Now that's the most I've said in one go in a long time, so I'm done.

The others chuckled at this and they lapsed into silence.

"Should we just tell Anita that we don't need her tomorrow?" Abby said after a minute. "I mean we've worked out all our problems and to be honest I think she is a bit mean. She asks some really awkward questions."

"I'm afraid that we still have to attend tomorrow's session." Vance said with a sigh.

"I wonder what she'll do tomorrow." McGee asked and the others all pitched in some ideas.

As they were talking nobody noticed that Tony had slowly drifted off to sleep. It was nearly half an hour later when Gibbs turned to Tony and noticed that the agent was fast asleep.

"Jimmy, help me get him to bed." He said as he stood up.

Jimmy looked at Tony and nodded to Gibbs. They went to either side of Tony and after putting each arm around one of their shoulders they pulled Tony into a standing position.

"Huh." Tony mumbled as his eyes opened to slits.

"It's ok Tony, just time for bed." Gibbs assured as they slowly led him towards the bedroom.

Ducky quickly gathered up the blankets and followed them to the room. Gibbs and Jimmy gently helped Tony to lie down and Ducky laid the covers over him.

"Tired." Tony mumbled as he pulled the covers tightly around himself.

"Sleep Tony." Gibbs replied as he tucked Tony in. "We've got your six."

Tony fell back to sleep instantly and after making sure he was ok ,the others left the room and returned to the sitting area.

"Is he ok." Abby asked worriedly.

"He'll be fine Abbs." Gibbs assured as he sat down again. "He needs to rest."

"How bad could this get." Vance asked. "I read about when he had the plague, could it be the same."

"Yes it could." Ducky replied with a sigh. "The plague caused him to develop pneumonia and all of this caused severe scarring to his lungs. Any cough or cold could lead to pneumonia and it would be much worse because of the existing scarring. A chest infection could develop into pneumonia and that could kill him."

"That's why you are so concerned about him." Vance sighed. "How does he manage to pass all of his fitness tests if his lungs are that bad?"

"He is very fit other than that." Gibbs replied. "He could probably even pass it in the condition he is in now."

"Really." Vance asked surprised.

"Yup, he was at the gym the other morning." Jimmy replied. "He normally runs for over an hour every morning."

"Huh." Vance replied.

"Yeah." Gibbs sighed.

"I think we should go and let you relax before you go to bed." Vance said after a few minutes of silence.

"Oh ah, yeah." Abby agreed as she stood up. "I'm sure tomorrow will be interesting."

"Yeah." McGee agreed as the others all stood.

"We'll see you in the morning." Gibbs said.

Everyone said their goodbyes, leaving Jimmy, Ducky and Gibbs alone. The three quickly tidied up and returned the chairs to their original places. When they were finished they each got their books and sat down to read for a while. Jimmy was the first to go to bed after he checked to make sure Tony was still ok. Ducky went to bed a short while later, leaving Gibbs alone. Gibbs gave a quick check on Tony and after turning everything off he went to his own room. Gibbs sat on the bed for a few hours lost in thoughts about Tony. Out of everyone, he felt closest to Tony, he felt that they had a father son relationship, but with everything that he had heard in the past week, he was beginning to realise that he wasn't much of a father figure. Gibbs didn't sleep well that night and he was glad when his alarm beeped and he got up.

* * *

_A/N: Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to review or alert. I really appreciate it and am glad you are enjoying the story. _


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Gibbs was the first up and he had a quick shower before getting dressed. He was just returning to the sitting room when he met Ducky who was going for his own shower. Gibbs quietly entered Tony and Jimmy's room and found Tony fast asleep and Palmer just getting up.

"How was he last night?" Gibbs whispered.

"Not too good." Jimmy replied equally as quite. "He was coughing a lot and his sleep was not restful."

"I was afraid of that." Gibbs replied. "We need to keep an eye on him today in case it gets worse. Ducky has just gone for a shower he should be out in a few minutes."

"Thanks." Jimmy replied just as Tony again started coughing.

"That doesn't sound good." Gibbs sighed.

"It always sounds worse in the morning." Jimmy replied. "It's because he is lying down."

"Should we wake him?"

"No, let him sleep for as long as possible." Jimmy replied "He's exhausted. Coughing makes him tired."

"Ok." Gibbs sighed. "I'll wake him when you are done with your shower."

Jimmy grabbed his things and left the bedroom. Ducky was just leaving the bathroom so Jimmy went in and had his shower. Gibbs stayed in the room and watched as Tony slept restlessly. He sighed as he thought of how he had failed his agent, his friend, hell his son. He heard the shower switch off and reluctantly moved to wake Tony. He was just about to call the younger man when Tony started coughing harshly. Gibbs gently helped Tony sit up causing Tony to wake. It took a few minutes for the cough to subside and Tony collapsed back against Gibbs.

"I've got you Tony." Gibbs assured. "Just relax I'll take care of you."

"I'm fine." Tony assured as he pushed himself away from Gibbs. "Is it time to get up."

"Yeah, Jimmy is just finished his shower if you want to take one."

"Um yeah ok." Tony agreed and slowly eased himself off the bed.

He had just gathered his things when Jimmy returned to the room.

"Morning Tony." Jimmy greeted. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Not really." Tony replied with a cough.

"Sorry to hear that." Jimmy sighed. "Take a shower, it might help."

"Yeah." Tony sighed and opened the door. "Thanks Jimmy."

Tony slowly dragged himself to the bathroom and turned on the shower. He stepped under the spray and started to wash himself. He had just rinsed his hair when he started coughing again. He couldn't catch his breath, so he quickly turned off the water and stumbled out of the shower. Gibbs heard the coughing and rushed into the bathroom just in time to catch Tony as he collapsed.

"Match my breaths Tony." Gibbs instructed as he held Tony against him.

Jimmy hurried in with Tony's inhaler and seeing that Tony had no clothes on, he took a towel and put it over Tony's lap. After a minute Tony had managed to get his breathing under control and took his inhaler.

"Sorry about that." He said embarrassedly as he noticed his nakedness.

"It's ok Tony." Gibbs assured as he loosened his hold on his agent. "Let's get you up and dried."

"I can manage boss." Tony assured as he wrapped the towel around his waist.

"Come on lad." Ducky said from the doorway. "Let's get you to your bedroom and I'll check you out."

"Yeah ok." Tony agreed and slowly followed Ducky back to the bedroom.

"Get yourself dried and get dressed but leave your top off for now." Ducky instructed as he pulled out his equipment.

Tony dried himself as quickly as he could and pulled on his boxers and pants and then sat on the bed.

"Did I ever tell you about my friend who had very bad asthma?" Ducky said as he started his exam. "Yes the poor lad had a very tough time of it, especially in the winter. When he was older he moved to Australia, where it is warm and dry most of the time, much different to the wet climate in Britan, and would you believe, he hasn't had any trouble with it since then."

"Brad suggested that I move somewhere with a warmer climate." Tony replied. "He really wanted me to take the position in Rota."

"Ah yes." Ducky sighed as he started putting his equipment away. "I would hate very much to see you leave us dear boy, but I understand why you would."

"Thanks Duck." Tony sighed "So what's the verdict."

"Your temperature is alright for the moment but I'm afraid your lungs are not sounding any better."Ducky sighed. "We'll see how you are after some food."

"Ok." Tony replied in relief as he pulled on his t-shirt. The last thing he wanted to do was wind up in hospital.

"I want you to drink plenty of water today. Some hot tea should help also." Ducky continued as he handed Tony his shirt. "And try not to talk too much as it is aggravating your chest."

"Ok." Tony replied as he buttoned up his shirt and pulled a sweater on over it.

Ducky left Tony alone to finish getting ready and joined the others in the sitting room. Tony joined them a minute later and they went down to the restaurant for breakfast. The others arrived just as they were sitting down.

"Oh Tony." Abby squealed when she saw them. "How are you feeling?"

"The same Abbs." Tony replied quietly.

"Poor Tony." Abby sighed as she gave him a gentle hug. "After tonight you can go home and rest in your own bed."

"Yeah." Tony replied with a smile and Abby took her seat.

Everyone ordered their food and quickly ate their breakfast. They were all eager to get today's session over with and return to their own homes.

They made their way back to the conference room and took their seats. Anita was already sitting, waiting for them.

"Good morning everyone." She greeted happily. "How are you today Tony."

"Ok." Tony replied with a small smile.

"Ok let's get started." Anita continued. "Is there anything you want to talk about? Is there anything on your mind?"

"Um well, we kinda talked last night." Abby started. "I think we've sorted everything out now."

"Really?" Anita asked surprised. "What exactly did you sort out?"

"Well we talked about trusting each other and the way we treated Tony and Jimmy. I think we've reached an understanding." Abby explained

"Who did the talking?"

"Gibbs mostly." Abby replied "I know weird, right, but he did. Tony and Ziva are going to start learning to trust each other again. Tim realizes that he's not as good as Tony in a lot of ways. The director has acknowledged that Tony is a good agent. We apologised to Jimmy for kinda over looking him a lot. I know that Tony isn't Gibbs and I'm not going to compare him anymore. And Gibbs said that we can come to talk to him if there is something wrong. Ducky said he will try not to tell stories at inappropriate times and we've said we will listen when we can. So yeah, I think we covered everything."

"Did anyone ask Tony if he was planning on leaving?" Anita asked looking around.

"Ah no." McGee replied and looked down at his hands.

"Well then not everything was covered." Anita surmised. "Alright, Tony, have you thought about leaving NCIS."

"Um, yeah I had thought about it." Tony replied followed by a cough.

"And have you had any job offers?" Anita continued

"Yeah I've had a few." Tony confirmed.

"Have you considered any of them?"

"Yeah um, I was offered a job with NCIS in LA." Tony said. "I like LA."

"That would involve a lot of undercover work." Gibbs said.

"Yeah I know." Tony replied. "I like undercover work."

"And he's good at it." Jimmy added.

"Plus the weather there would help your lungs." Ducky added.

"It sounds like you want Tony to go." Abby gasped "How could you both."

"We do not wish for Tony to leave." Ducky sighed "We simply want the best for the lad. And the best may no longer be with us."

"Do you really think that?" Anita asked.

"I'm honestly not sure." Ducky sighed

"Do you think you will leave?" Anita asked turning again to Tony.

"Um I think I'll give it another while." Tony said and started coughing again.

He took a drink of water and continued. "I want to see how things are after this, little, ah, chat."

"That's good." Anita said. "It's good to take your time with a decision like this."

"Of course it is." Ducky added. "Take your time my lad."

"I will Duck, Thanks." Tony replied.

"Have you discussed the other issue that came up yesterday?" Anita asked.

"What other issue." Ziva asked. "There were no other issues."

"Maybe not with the team." Anita said. "But there was something quite big revealed by Tony."

"Can we please not talk about that?" Tony pleaded.

"I think it's something you need to discuss." Anita said. "It could help."

"How the hell could everyone knowing that my parents beat the crap out of me, help anything?" Tony yelled causing him to cough before continuing. "My parents were not nice people and they treated me as an inconvenience."

Tony again started coughing but this time it didn't subside even when he drank some water. Gibbs quickly got up and helped Tony to sit on the floor leaning against Gibbs.

"Breathe with me Tony." Gibbs instructed. "Match my breathing."

The fit slowly came to an end but Tony's breathing was still ragged and he collapsed back against Gibbs.

"Breathe with me Tony." Gibbs instructed again and Tony slowly started getting his breathing back under control. "Ata boy." Gibbs praised and tousled Tony's hair.

"I'm going to call Brad." Ducky said from beside them. "I think things are getting worse lad."

Tony sighed but nodded in agreement. He felt horrible after the last coughing fit.

"Oh Tony." Abby cried from across the room. There were tears running down her face and Ziva had pulled her into a hug."

"I'm ok." Tony whispered.

"You are not." Gibbs sighed

"Should we get him to a hospital?" Anita asked.

"Ducky will check with his doctor." Gibbs said as he continued to hold Tony. "Take your inhaler Tony."

Tony nodded and Jimmy helped him to take two puffs of the inhaler. He had just finished when Ducky returned to the room.

"Brad wants' him in Bethesda straight away." Ducky said. "I'm sorry Anthony but I agree with him."

Tony nodded with a sigh and went to stand up. Gibbs got up and helped Tony up as he was still a bit shaky.

"Come on I'll drive." Gibbs said. "Jimmy can you pack up Tonys things and mine and meet us there."

"Yes of course." Jimmy replied. "Ah Tony do you want me to take your car home."

"Yeah thanks." Tony replied and fished his keys out of his pocket and handed them to his friend.

"Anita my dear, thank you for your time, it has been very insightful." Ducky said. "But I do not think we will be returning."

"That's quite alright Ducky." Anita replied with a smile. "Tony, I hope you are better soon. Think about sharing some of your demons with your friends. They are your family."

Tony nodded and after giving a wave he left the room.

"Gibbs." Anita called. "He needs a father figure, be that for him."

Gibbs nodded and hurried after Tony. The three walked to Gibbs car and Ducky helped Tony in, before getting into his own car. Gibbs then sped off towards Bethesda but kept his speed reasonable because of Tony's condition.

They arrived a few minutes later Gibbs helped Tony out of the car and into the ER. Brad was waiting there for them and led them quickly to a private room.

"Put on the gown Tony and I'll be back in a minute." Brad instructed.

Tony did as he was told with some help from Gibbs and then sat on the bed. Brad returned a minute later followed by Ducky. Brad instructed Tony to sit back and then he attached a pulse Ox monitor to Tony's finger. He then took his temperate, blood pressure, pulse and listened to his chest.

"Well Doc." Gibbs asked impatiently.

"Tony, I'm afraid I'm going to have to admit you." Brad said sadly. "Your oxygen levels are too low and the antibiotics aren't working as fast as I'd like them to."

"Ok." Tony sighed unhappily, shocking the others with his acceptance.

"You must be feeling very bad to agree so quickly." Brad said with a small smile. "I'll get you set up with IV antibiotics and fluids and we'll get you better as quick as we can."

"Thanks." Tony sighed as he lay back against the pillows.

"Relax for a while and I'll get you moved to another room." Brad said and left them alone.

"I'll call the others." Ducky said and followed Brad out of the room.

Gibbs pulled a chair over beside the bed and sat down to wait.

"You don't have to stay Gibbs." Tony said. "I'll be fine on my own."

"I'm where I want to be." Gibbs assured. "I'm staying with you."

"Thanks boss." Tony replied with a smile and closed his eyes.

Brad and Ducky returned a few minutes later and were followed by an orderly with a wheelchair.

"Hop in Tony." Brad instructed, waking Tony up. "We have a room ready for you."

Tony sighed and carefully eased himself out of the bed with some help from Gibbs. He sat in the wheelchair without complaint and Brad covered him with a blanket.

"I'll push him." Gibbs said and moved behind the chair. The orderly nodded and left the room.

Brad led the three of them to Tony's room. It was a private room with a window looking out over the hospital grounds.

"You're in the respiratory care ward." Brad said as he helped Tony into the bed. "We'll keep a close eye on your breathing and hopefully we will stop any further complications. The nurse's station is right across from your room."

"Ok." Tony replied as a nurse entered the room with a cart load of equipment.

"Ah here we go." Brad said. "We'll get you set up. Would you prefer Gibbs and Ducky to leave while we do this?"

"No it's ok, they can stay." Tony replied with a sigh.

Gibbs and Ducky moved out of the way and Brad and the nurse started attaching the monitors and IV's to Tony. Tony winced as the IV needle was inserted into his hand but remained quiet.

"Ok Tony, I'm afraid I need to take some blood and also we need an arterial blood gas."

"Oh god." Tony groaned unhappily.

"I know it hurts." Brad said apologetically as he picked up one of the syringes. "But it needs to be done."

"I know." Tony replied. "Just do it."

Brad held out Tony's arm and cleaned his wrist. He quickly inserted the needle into the radial artery and withdrew a small amount of blood. Tony held his breath, squeezed his eyes tightly shut and bit his lower lip. Gibbs moved beside Tony and wrapped his arm around Tony's shoulders offering some support. When Brad removed the needle, Tony let out the breath he was holding and immediately started coughing. Gibbs started hitting Tony's back to help and Brad placed an oxygen mask on Tony's face. The nurse put pressure on the puncture site and then a band aid. Tony eventually stopped coughing and collapsed back against Gibbs.

"Breathe Tony." Brad instructed as he adjusted the oxygen. "Sarah, get that blood tested stat. We need the results."

"Of course." The nurse replied and hurried out of the room with the blood.

"I'm sorry Tony but I need to take more blood." Brad apologised as he readied another syringe.

Tony nodded and again closed his eyes. Brad quickly swabbed the crook of Tony's arm and took 3 vials of blood.

"I need a urine sample." Brad said as he put away the syringe. "I'm going to insert a catheter."

"But." Tony protested but was stopped by Brad.

"It will make life easier Tony." Brad said as he pulled out the equipment.  
"Would you like us to leave?" Ducky asked

Tony shook his head no and Gibbs wrapped his arm tighter around him. Brad pulled up the sheets and quickly inserted the catheter causing Tony to groan. He quickly took a sample of urine and connected the tube to a collection bag and hung it on the bed. He checked Tony's vitals and then turned down the oxygen a bit.

"I'm going to take these to the lab." Brad said as he started out the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes with the results."

"You ok Tony." Gibbs asked as he eased Tony back against the pillows.

"Um yeah." Tony replied uncertainly.

"ABG's can be quite painful." Ducky said as he sat down on a chair in the corner.

"Yeah I know." Tony replied through the mask. "I've had a few of them."

"Ah yes of course." Ducky said. "You would have had to have a few during your recovery from the plague."

"Yeah." Tony replied.

Ducky started telling them one of his stories while they waited for Brad to return. Tony closed his eyes as Gibbs sat beside him and he fell asleep within a few minutes. Brad returned 15 minutes later and quickly checked Tony's vitals.

"Well." Gibbs asked.

"Huh."Tony mumbled as he woke up.

Brad reached over Tony and gently removed the oxygen mask. He then reached for a nasal cannula and fitted it under Tony's nose and adjusted the oxygen.

"Your oxygen levels are still low so I'm going to leave the cannula on for now." Brad explained. "I'm still waiting on the other results. I've arranged for you to have an x-ray in about 20 minutes. I want to have a look at your lungs."

"K" Tony sighed.

"How are you feeling Tony?" Brad asked. "Are you hurting anywhere?"

"Head hurts." Tony admitted. "My chest too."

Brad pulled a syringe out of his pocket and injected the contents into Tony's IV port. "That should help."

"Thanks." Tony replied and coughed a bit.

"I'll be back in a few minutes to bring you to x-ray." Brad said and again left the room.

Gibbs squeezed Tony's hand and they sat in silence waiting for Brad to return.

He returned a few minutes later with an orderly and they prepared Tony's bed to be moved.

"I'll have him back in about an hour." Brad said "Why don't you get some food."

"See you then" Gibbs said and gave Tony's shoulder a squeeze, before leaving the room.

Tony was wheeled out of the room and down to X-ray. He fell asleep as he waited and didn't wake until he was returned to his room an hour later. He was just settled in again when Gibbs and Ducky returned to the room. Brad came in a few minutes later with the x-ray films in his hand. He snapped them onto the light board and he and Ducky examined them.

"Well." Gibbs asked after a few minutes.

* * *

_A/N: A big thank you to everyone who has review and I'm sorry I haven't replied to everyone yet, there are just so many that it is taking me a while to get to them all, but I will. Please keep them coming I really love to hear what yhou think_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Well." Gibbs asked after a few minutes.

"It's looking a bit worse than we had anticipated." Brad replied. "We are going to up the antibiotics and get him started on steroids which he will take through a nebulizer. I'm also going to get him to start on some breathing exercises."

"I'll just give Jimmy a call and let him and the others what is going on." Ducky said and went out of the room.

"I'll wake him up and let him know." Gibbs sighed and gently shook Tony's shoulder. "Tony wake up."

"Huh." Tony mumbled and started coughing.

Gibbs helped him sit up and held him through the coughing fit. When it was over he helped Tony to lie back.

"What's up?" Tony asked hoarsely.

"We got your x-ray's back." Brad replied. "We are upping your dose of antibiotics and putting you on a nebulizer to get steroids into you."

"Pneumonia?" Tony asked worriedly.

"Yes unfortunately. We've caught it early, but we can't let it get any worse." Brad confirmed. "We are going to hit it with everything we've got and we'll have you up and about in a few days."

"Ok." Tony agreed and closed his eyes again.

Brad and Gibbs walked outside the room to let Tony rest while they continued talking.

"Do you know much about Tony's medical history?" Gibbs asked Brad.

"Well just what you do I'm sure, he has had numerous concussions, stab wounds, gunshot wounds, a few broken bones and of course the plague and all the resulting issues." Brad replied.

"Do you know anything from his child hood?" Gibbs continued.

"No." Brad admitted. "I managed to get his records from Rhode Island but they are only from when he was twelve. I know nothing from before that."

"I didn't think so." Gibbs sighed. "We found out that he was sick as a child and possibly had cancer of some type."

"God." Brad gasped. "Do we have any idea what type of cancer."

"No, Tony said he doesn't know and he was never told. He just remembers being really sick and having all his hair fall out." Gibbs explained.

"Most likely leukaemia." Brad concluded. "It's the most common childhood cancer. I should run some tests to make sure everything is still ok."

"That'd be good." Gibbs replied. "I've been worried about it since we found out."

"Did he mention anything else about his childhood?" Brad asked. "Like maybe being beaten. I've noticed a few scars that have made me think he was abused as a child, but it is not something he will talk about."

"Yeah in the therapy sessions he mentioned that he was abused by both his parents." Gibbs sighed. "But of course he didn't go into details. I've always suspected it but I was still shocked when he admitted it. He hides it well."

"I don't know if he's ever spoken to a professional about it, but it would help him to talk about it." Brad said. "He has issues that he needs to sort out."

"I'll talk to him about it." Gibbs sighed "But I don't think he'll agree to it."

"Ah, there you are." Ducky said as he joined them. "Anita has called the session to an end and the others are packing our things up. They will be here in the next hour."

"All right." Gibbs said. "I'm going to sit with Tony until the others arrive."

With that Gibbs returned to the room and pulled the chair close to Tony. He gently took Tony's hand and held it in his own. "You're going to be fine Tony." He whispered. "Just fight this."

Gibbs sat with Tony for the next hour while the younger man slept. Soon the others arrived and they all piled into the room, Vance included.

"Is he ok Gibbs?" Abby asked quietly.

"M fine." Tony mumbled as he opened his eyes.

"Sorry Tony, I didn't mean to wake you." Abby said as she hurried to his bed side. "Are you really ok, cos you don't look ok."

"Maybe I'm not that ok, but I will be." Tony replied with a small cough. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We came to make sure you were ok." Ziva said. "Anita let us finish early because we were worried about you."

"Thanks." Tony replied. "How did the rest of the session go?"

"It was mostly Anita asking us about you and your illness." McGee replied. "And ah about how we would feel if you left."

"Huh." Tony replied and coughed again. "And how would you feel?"

"It took me a while to realise how much you'd be missed, by all of us." McGee admitted. "When you were off sick with the plague, Kate and I drove each other mad because you weren't there. Kate referred to you as an x rated Peter Pan and I suppose you are at times. But you get the job done and done well, while still keeping things light, and that's not easy. I would really hate to see you leave."

"Thanks Probie." Tony replied with a smile.

"So you've got pneumonia." Abby said sadly. "That sucks."

"Yeah." Tony sighed "But I'll be ok."

"Of course you will." Abby replied happily. "We brought you some things to help pass the time."

"We brought you your lap top and a few DVDs." McGee added.

"I brought you some magazines." Ziva added and put the stack down on the table.

"I ah, brought you your book." Jimmy added shyly.

"Thanks guys." Tony replied with a yawn.

"We should let you sleep." Vance said as he saw him struggling to stay awake.

"We'll be back after dinner for a visit." Abby assured as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"K." Tony mumbled as he eyes slid closed.

They all left the room and were followed out by Gibbs.

"He was just given some pain killers so he'll sleep for a while." Gibbs explained. "If you want to come back at about 1800, he should be awake."

"Are you staying here?" Vance asked surprised.

"Yeah, he needs someone with him." Gibbs replied. "We're the only family he's got."

"We will return later to check on you both." Ducky said

"Take good care of him Gibbs." Abby said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "We'll see you later."

Gibbs nodded and returned to Tony's room. Tony was fast asleep; the only sound was the beeping of monitors and the hiss of the oxygen. Gibbs took the seat beside Tony and watched his agent sleep.

Over the next few hours the nurses entered the room constantly to check on their patient, who remained soundly asleep. When dinner arrived and Tony had still not woken, Gibbs decided to wake him.

"Hey Tony, there's food here." He called gently.

"Not hungry." Tony mumbled and opened his eyes.

"You need to eat something Tony." Gibbs said as Tony started coughing.

"Easy Tony." Gibbs said as he held Tony and hit his back and soon the fit ended.

"You ok." Gibbs asked after a minute.

"Yeah." Tony sighed as he lay back again.

Gibbs grabbed a cup of water and helped Tony to drink a few sips. He had just finished when a nurse arrived in.

"Mr. DiNozzo, are you ok." She asked. "There was an emergency down the hall and I came as quickly as I could."

"It's Tony." Tony said with a smile "and I'm fine."

"That's good to hear." She replied as she checked his vitals and adjusted the oxygen. "Try and eat some dinner and Dr. Pitt will be in soon to check on you."

"Ok." Tony replied with a sigh and picked up his fork.

The nurse smiled and left the room. Tony took a few bites of the food before returning the fork to its original position and pushing the tray away.

"It's horrible." Tony said when he saw the look Gibbs was giving him.

"I'll have Abby bring something with her." Gibbs said.

"You don't have to stay with me." Tony said as Gibbs sat back down.

"I know I don't" Gibbs replied "Do you want to watch TV or something."

"Uh sure." Tony replied awkwardly.

Gibbs switched on the TV and found a film that both he and Tony would like. A few minutes into the film Brad arrived so Gibbs turned the volume down.

"How are you feeling Tony?"

"All right." Tony replied

"Well let's have a look." Brad said and began examining Tony. "Hmm you seem to be a bit better than earlier. Your temperature is gone down a little bit, pulse ox is the same. I see the nurse turned the oxygen up a bit."

"Yeah he had a coughing fit when he woke." Gibbs explained.

"Ah I see." Brad replied and adjusted the oxygen again. "Well you seem to be doing as well as can be expected. How's the pain."

"It's fine." Tony assured. "Headache is pretty much gone."

"What about your chest." Brad asked

"Um it's still a bit sore but only if I'm coughing." Tony replied reluctantly. "But I don't need anything."  
"I'll get the nurse to give you something before you go to sleep."

"Ok." Tony relented

"The nurse will be in shortly to give you your steroids and I also want to take some more blood.

"What why?" Tony asked worriedly.

"Well Gibbs mentioned that you were sick with Cancer when you were a child." Brad said

"Yeah and?" Tony sighed.

"It was most likely Leukaemia and some of the symptoms are bruising and being prone to infection." Brad continued. "I've noticed a few bruises and you do have an infection."

"What's the likelihood of it being cancer?" Gibbs asked as Tony paled further.

"It's a possibility." Brad admitted. "If the blood tests don't show any abnormalities then he should be ok."

"Should?" Tony asked.

"There are different types of Leukaemia and some don't show up in blood tests."

"So how can you check for them?" Gibbs asked

"We would have to do a lumbar puncture but we will wait until we get the blood test result before we decide on anything." Brad said.

"Ok." Tony sighed and after another quick check, Brad left the room.

The nurse entered the room a few minutes later and placed the nebulizer mask over Tony's face. After she had switched the nebulizer on she prepared Tony's arm to take blood.

Tony tensed up and Gibbs squeezed Tony's shoulder. The nurse quickly inserted the syringe and Tony gasped in pain. She took the required blood and left the room.

"Why do you hate needles so much?" Gibbs asked Tony after a few minutes.

"Just do." Tony mumbled "They hurt."

"Yeah but you've had plenty of injuries that I'm sure would hurt more." Gibbs said.

"Yeah." Tony agreed with a sigh. "When I was sick, they gave me a lot of injections and took a lot of blood. They held me down to do it because I didn't like it. I guess I still think of that every time I have to get one."

"Ah hell Tony." Gibbs sighed. "I wish I could help more."

"You're helping." Tony assured and they started watching the TV again.

Abby and McGee arrived at the hospital just as the nebulizer was removed and had brought some food for Tony. Abby had decided to get him some soup and bread as she knew Tony wouldn't be that hungry.

"Thanks Abbs." Tony said as he took a few spoonfuls.

"You're welcome Tony." Abby beamed as he continued eating.

Within a few minutes all of the soup was gone and Tony gave a content sigh before leaning back against his pillows.

"Are you feeling any better?" McGee asked to break the silence.

"A little bit." Tony replied with a small smile.

"I'm going to get something to eat." Gibbs said as he stood up and stretched. "I'll be back in a while."

"K boss." Tony replied "I'll be here."

"You'd better be." Gibbs replied as he walked out the door.

"He hasn't left all day." Tony said as Jimmy walked into the room.

"Who hasn't?" Jimmy asked.

"Gibbs." Abby replied. "He cares about you Tony. He just wants to make sure that you are ok. We all do."

"Besides, it's nice to have someone with you when you are stuck in the hospital." Jimmy said. "My mum still stays with me."

"Yeah but Gibbs isn't my father." Tony sighed. "He doesn't have to stay with me."

"No he's not your father Tony." Jimmy replied. "Your father never stayed with you when you were ill. Gibbs may not be your biological father but he cares for you as if you were his son. He wants to be here with you. He wants to take care of you. Let him."

"I don't think I know how." Tony admitted "I've been taking care of myself for so long now."

"Just don't push him away." Abby said. "Tell him when you are not feeling well. Let him do things for you."

"Let him help you." McGee added.

"I'll try." Tony agreed as Ducky and Ziva walked in.

"Hello Tony, how are you feeling?" Ziva asked as Ducky picked up Tony's chart.

"I'm ok." Tony replied

"Your stats have improved slightly but are nowhere near normal." Ducky noted "Has Bradley been by?"

"Yeah he was here a few minutes ago." Tony replied followed by a cough.

"Good." Ducky replied "I'm sure everything is under control then."

"Yeah." Tony agreed hesitantly.

"Where is Jethro?" Ducky asked looking around the room.

"He's gone for something to eat." Abby replied. "He waited until we came before he left."

"I'm sure he did." Ducky replied with a smile. "Now I know Jethro isn't the most talkative person, but Anthony, try to talk to him. He wants to help and he wants to be there for you."

"I know." Tony replied and started coughing again.

Jimmy helped him to drink some water before he continued. "I'll try but there are some things I don't want to talk about."

"We understand Tony." Ducky replied as he took a seat in Gibbs vacated chair. "Now what have you been watching?"

"We had just turned on a movie before Brad arrived." Tony replied as he glanced at the flickering screen. "I don't even know what it is?"

"Well, let us see if we can find something else to watch." Ducky said as he turned the sound back up and started flicking.

He turned on some game show and everyone started to watch it. An hour later, Gibbs had returned and found a very tired looking Tony in the middle of everyone.

"Jethro." Ducky greeted as he stood up from the chair and stretched.

"Hey Duck." Gibbs replied. "How is he?"

"He's fine, but getting a bit tired." Ducky replied as he glanced at the younger man. "I think we should get going."

"Yeah I think your right." Gibbs replied

"Did you get something to eat Jethro?" Ducky asked as he started to pull on his coat.

"Yeah, I went home and had something and took a shower and changed."

"Good, you need to take care of yourself." Ducky replied with a smile and then whispered. "He needs you."

"I know Duck." Gibbs replied quietly then turned to the others. "Time to go home, Tony needs to rest."

"But Gibbs." Abby whined

"Abbs." Gibbs warned with a stern glare.

Abby pouted and turned to Tony to see him looking tired. "Ok Gibbs." She relented. "Tony, I'll be back to see you in the morning. Sleep well and I hope you feel better."

"Thanks Abbs." Tony replied as she gave him a gentle hug.

"Yes we will also return tomorrow." Ziva added. "Sleep well."

"Yeah." McGee added

"Thanks guys." Tony replied with a yawn.

"Do you need me to bring you anything else from your apartment?" Jimmy asked as he pulled on his coat.

"Um no I don't think so." Tony replied. "Maybe some clothes to wear going home."

"I don't think you will be going anywhere for a few days lad." Ducky said gently

"I know, but I want to be ready when they let me."

"Alright lad." Ducky relented.

"I'll get you a few things." Jimmy stated "And things you'll need for a shower."

"That'd be good." Tony replied "Thanks Jimmy,"

"Anytime." Jimmy replied and with a final goodbye the group left leaving Gibbs and Tony alone.

"Are you not going boss." Tony asked hesitantly, not actually wanting to be left alone.

"I'm staying the night Tony." Gibbs said as he made himself more comfortable. "I've already Okayed it with Brad."

"Are you sure boss? I mean that chair can't be comfortable."

"I'll be fine." Gibbs replied "Unless of course you wanted me to leave."

"No." Tony said hurriedly. "I ah."

"Good, cos I'm staying. Now get some rest. The nurse will be in, in a few minutes to give you your meds."

"Thanks boss." Tony replied as he pulled the blankets up a bit further.

He had just closed his eyes when the nurse arrived in with her cart.

"Hello Tony. I'm just going to give you a quick check and then you can go to sleep." She said cheerily.

"K." Tony mumbled and held out his arm for the blood pressure cuff.

The nurse continued doing her checks and updating Tony's chart.

"You are doing well Tony." She assured. "Now I'm just going to get you hooked up with more IV antibiotics and fluids and I'll give you some pain killers."

Tony nodded as she started changing out the IV bags. The nurse also changed the urine drainage bag, much to Tony's embarrassment. She then injected the pain killers and a light sedative into the IV.

"There you go." She said after a minute. "Now try and get some sleep. It will help a lot."

"Thanks." Tony replied with a tired smile.

The nurse cleaned up her equipment and left the room. Gibbs gently pulled the blanket up over Tony and tucked him in.

"Thanks." Tony mumbled trying to keep his eyes open.

"Sleep Tony. I'll be here when you wake." Gibbs assured as he gently brushed Tony's hair off his sweaty forehead.

Tony eyes slipped closed and he soon drifted in a comfortable sleep, aided by the drugs and Gibbs' presence.

Gibbs made himself as comfortable as possible in the chair and continued watching the TV. After about two hours he left the room in search of some coffee. There was a machine not too far away and he got a cup before returning to Tony's room. There he returned to his seat and when his coffee was finished, he too fell asleep.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews and alerts. I thinks I've replied to everyone and I'm really sorry if I missed someone._


	7. Chapter 7

_I am not a medical professional so I apologise for any medical mistakes that may be in this chapter. _

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Chapter 7

When Gibbs woke the following morning he was surprised to find a blanket covering him and to see the light streaming through the window. He thought he would have been woken a few times by Tony's coughing. He checked the monitors to ensure Tony was still ok, then got up and stretched. He again left the room to get some coffee and had just returned when a nurse arrived.

"Good morning." She greeted. "Did you sleep well last night."

"Surprisingly well." Gibbs replied "Thanks for the blanket."

"You're welcome." She replied as she started taking Tony's vitals. "I know how hard it is spending the night in one of those chairs. Agent DiNozzo is doing well and he slept peacefully through the night."

"Good."

"Dr. Pitt mentioned that you were Tony's boss." She continued as she changed the IV bags. "You seem very close. There is no way my boss would stay with me if I was ill, he probably wouldn't even visit."

"He's family." Gibbs replied not noticing that Tony's eyes were open. "He's the nearest thing I have to a son and I don't want to lose him."

"He's in good hands here if you want to go get some food." The nurse assured as she updated the chart. "He's doing very well."

"I'll wait." Gibbs replied "I want to be here when he wakes."

"'M awake." Tony mumbled as he tried to sit himself up.

Gibbs quickly turned to him and seeing his struggle, helped him into a sitting position.

"How are you feeling Tony?" The nurse asked.

"I'm ok, just a little tired."

"That's to be expected. You are doing remarkably well considering. Your temperature has dropped to an acceptable level and your blood pressure is normal. Your oxygen levels are getting better too. We'll be able to get the cannula off soon. The antibiotics seem to be working very nicely."

"That's good to hear." Gibbs replied with a smile. "You'll be home in no time."

"Your breakfast will be arriving shortly." The nurse continued as she gathered her things. "I'll send along some for both of you."

"Thanks." Gibbs replied as she walked out the door and turned back to Tony. "How are you really feeling?"

"I really do feel better." Tony assured. "My chest isn't throbbing and I don't feel light headed. The headache is gone."

"Good, that's good Tony." Gibbs praised with a smile and switched on the TV.

"You should go get some breakfast." Tony said after a few minutes.

"It's fine Tony, they are bringing me in something."

"Yeah but come on boss, hospital food is horrible." Tony argued followed by a little cough. "Who would choose to eat it?"

"It's fine Tony, really." Gibbs assured. "It'll be fine. Now relax and watch the TV."

"Yes boss." Tony relented as he settled back against the pillows and turned to the TV.

The pair watched the TV in silence until breakfast finally arrived. They were pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be toast, edible oatmeal, orange juice and some fresh coffee for Gibbs. They started eating and Gibbs was happy to see Tony eating all of the food on his tray. When the nurse arrived to collect the trays she too was delighted to see that Tony had eaten everything. She noted this on Tony's chart before she left. They had just started watching TV again when Brad arrived in with the nurse.

"Good morning Tony." Brad greeted. "How are you this morning?"

"I feel better." Tony replied honestly. "Chest doesn't hurt anymore."

"That's great." Brad replied as he read the chart. "Everything is looking good Tony."

"Can I go home then?" Tony asked hopefully.

"You're not doing that well." Brad smiled, glad that Tony was acting more like himself. "I'll see how thing look tomorrow and if we have your test results back and if you keep improving, we might let you home on Monday or Tuesday."

"Ok." Tony sighed as Brad started examining him.

After the exam, Brad turned the oxygen down to its lowest output and monitored Tony's vitals for a few minutes.

"I need to do another blood test to see how your levels are." Brad said as he picked up a syringe.

Tony closed his eyes, knowing he couldn't stop it, but hating it none the less. Gibbs sat on the bed beside Tony and pulled the younger man into his arm and held him steady while Brad took the required blood.

"All done." Brad said as he gently put a band aid over the puncture wound. "Relax for a while and get some sleep if you can. I'll be back in a few hours to check on you and I will hopefully have your results."

"Thanks." Tony replied and gave a small wave as Brad left the room.

"I'll have to let Vance know I'll be off Monday and maybe Tuesday." Tony said as the door closed.

"You are going to be off longer than that." Gibbs growled. "You will be off all of next week at the very least and then if Brad says you are ok to come back, you will be on desk duty."

"But."

"No buts." Gibbs interrupted and continued more softly. "I don't want you getting sick again. I can't lose you."

"Ok." Tony gave in. "I just hate being stuck at a desk."

"It's better than being stuck in the hospital." Gibbs added with a smile.

"True." Tony agreed and turned back to the television.

Nearly an hour later Abby arrived in and without saying anything sat down on the end of Tony's bed.

"Are you ok Abbs?" Tony asked concerned. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh nothing." She replied with a sigh.

"Abby I know there is something wrong." Tony insisted. "Please just tell me or I'll be worried."

"It doesn't matter; I should be the one asking how you are." She said avoiding answering. "You look better than yesterday."

"I feel much better." Tony agreed. "And Brad said I was doing better."

"Really, that's great." Abby replied happily. "You'll get home in time for Christmas."

"Yeah." Tony agreed "So tell me what's wrong."

"You know he won't let this go Abby." Gibbs said

"Fine, my parents emailed me during the week to tell me that they were going on a cruise for Christmas." Abby sighed. "All my brothers and sisters have other plans so I'm going to be on my own."

"You can stay with me Abby." Tony replied

"Don't you have any plans?"

"No, I usually work on Christmas." Tony replied "But this year, I'll be on desk duty so I won't be able to be on call."

"That won't work." Gibbs added.

"Why." Tony asked curiously.

"Because you are going to be staying with me until you are back to full health and that will not be until after Christmas."

"But boss, what about Abby."

"Abby can stay at my place too." Gibbs replied. "Jackson will be coming too and he'll love to have you there."

"Oh Gibbs, this will be great." Abby grinned. "I can't wait. I still have some shopping to do. Oh this is exciting."

"Are you sure you want me there for Christmas boss." Tony asked hesitantly "Don't you want to spend time with your Dad."

"I want to spend time with you too." Gibbs replied with a sigh. "Hell Tony, I want a nice family Christmas and I want you there to share it with. You are my family."

"Um ok." Tony replied as his eyes became wet with unshed tears.

Gibbs stood up and ruffled Tony's hair before grabbing his coat.

"I'm going to get some decent coffee." He explained. "Behave while I'm gone. Tony, get some rest."

"Yes boss." Tony replied with a small smile as Gibbs walked out the door. "Abby, I need some help to get some presents."

"Ok sure." Abby replied, pulling a pen and note pad out of her bag. "Tell me what you want and I'll get it."

Tony spent the next half an hour giving Abby a list of things he would need. He had done nearly all of his shopping already, but with the way Christmas was being celebrated this year, he needed to get a few more things.

By the time they were finished Tony was getting very tired and when Gibbs returned he was fast asleep. Abby kissed Tony goodbye and went to get everything on Tony's list as well as some of her own shopping. Gibbs stayed at Tony's bedside until lunch time when he was woken by the nurse bringing in food.

"Hey boss" Tony greeted when he opened his eyes.

"Hey Tony, ready for some lunch."

"Yeah, I'm hungry." Tony replied as he sat himself up. "Where'd Abby go?"

"She said something about shopping." Gibbs replied as he moved the tray closer to Tony "Eat up. Jimmy is on his way."

"Ok boss." Tony replied and started eating the food.

He had just finished and pushed the tray away when Jimmy arrived.

"Hey Tony, hi Agent Gibbs." Jimmy greeted with a huge smile "I brought a few things from your apartment. I got sweats and a sweatshirt for you to wear going home and I brought somethings you can wear while you are here."

"Thanks Jimmy." Tony replied. "This is great. As soon as they let me out of this gown I'll change."

"No problem Tony." Jimmy replied as he sat down at the end of the bed. "Did they say when they would let you out?"

"Maybe Monday or Tuesday." Tony replied followed by a cough. "The sooner, the better."

"You'll be out for Christmas." Palmer replied happily. "Do you want to watch a film?"

"Yeah sure." Tony replied

"I'll leave you to it." Gibbs said standing up. "I'll be back later. Call if you need me."

"Thanks boss." Tony replied as Jimmy set up a film.

The pair spent the next two hours watching a film while Gibbs went out to do some Christmas shopping of his own. He had a lot to do for Christmas with everyone coming. He wanted to make this a great Christmas for everyone especially Tony.

Tony fell asleep after the film so Jimmy pulled out some of his books and studied. It was over 3 hours later when Gibbs returned and Tony woke. Jimmy said his goodbyes and said he would see them the next day. Gibbs sat back down and relaxed as Tony drifted in and out of sleep.

Brad entered the room half an hour later with some papers in his hands.

"Are those the test results?" Gibbs asked as he moved closer to Tony.

"Yeah they are." Brad replied with a nod. "Well your white blood count is a little high but your platelets are normal."

"That's good isn't it?" Tony asked

"Well the fact the platelets are normal and that's a good sign." Brad relied and sighed before continuing. "The problem is with the pneumonia, you would already have an increased white blood count so it could be masking something else."

"So where do we go from here?" Gibbs asked.

"We can wait until after the pneumonia has cleared and do the blood test again, or we can do a get a bone marrow sample and we can be 100 % sure."

"What do you recommend?" Gibbs asked and squeezed Tony's hand.

"I would recommend getting the bone marrow." Brad sighed. "As I said before some forms of leukaemia do not appear in blood tests."

"So you want to stick a needle through my bone?" Tony asked worriedly.

"I know you don't like it but it's the best way." Brad sighed. "We'll numb the area before we insert the needle. It won't take away all the pain but it's better than nothing."

"I've had one before." Tony admitted.

"To diagnose you, when you were a child?" Brad asked and Tony nodded. "In that case I would strongly suggest another one."

"Ok." Tony agreed reluctantly.

"I'll be back in a minute." Brad said and hurried out of the room.

"What if I have cancer boss." Tony asked quietly as he played with his blankets.

"Then you'll get through it." Gibbs replied softly "You will have all of us here to help you. We won't let you go through it alone. I promise."

Tony nodded slightly as Brad returned to the room.

"Alright Tony, I need you to turn on your side and keep your legs and body as straight as possible." Brad instructed as he readied a syringe.

Tony got into the position with some help from Gibbs and the nurse untied his gown and cleaned the area on Tony's hip.

"I'm going to give you a shot to numb the area." Brad warned and then quickly injected the contents of the syringe.

Tony tensed and then relaxed as he felt the area start to numb. Brad waited a few minutes until he was sure the area was numb before readying the needle.

"I'm going to insert the needle." Brad advised. "I need you to hold as still as possible."

"K." Tony mumbled and Gibbs put one arm around Tony's shoulders and ran his other hand through Tony's hair.

"Arghhh" Tony moaned as the needle went in.

"Just another bit Tony." Brad assured as he connected the syringe. "You'll feel a little pull now and maybe a sharp pain."

"Oh God." Tony cried as he felt a really sharp pain.

"Nearly done." Brad said as he moved the needle slightly.

"You're doing well Tony." Gibbs comforted as Brad finally moved the needle.

"All done Tony," Brad said as the nurse covered the puncture site. "Try not to move around too much. The puncture site will be sore as the numbing agent wares off."

"Right." Tony replied as he turned back over and settled against the pillows.

"Relax for a while and I'll get these samples to the lab." Brad instructed. "I'll be back before I leave."

"He will." Gibbs assured as he settled back into his chair. The pair turned back on the TV and started watching it for another while.

Ducky arrived for a visit just as dinner was brought in. He told Tony stories while he ate and Gibbs left to get his own food. When Gibbs returned the nasal cannula was gone from under Tony's nose.

"Ah Jethro, there you are. Bradley was here a few minutes ago to check on Anthony again. The young lad is doing remarkably well and no longer needs the additional oxygen."

"That's good to hear." Jethro smiled. "Glad you are getting better Tony."

"Me too." Tony agreed with a cough. "Maybe Brad will let me go home sooner."

"Don't hold your breath." Ducky replied with a grin.

"Did Brad say anything about test results?" Gibbs asked.

"No not a thing" Ducky replied "What tests is he running?"

"He took bone marrow" Gibbs replied. "The blood tests were inconclusive."

"Ah I see." Ducky replied. "The results will most likely take at least a day if they are priority. But I'm sure there is nothing to worry about. You have been in good health up until now."

"What about the bruising?" Gibbs asked

"Now Jethro, both you and I know that you all get knocked around every day while doing your job. I'm sure Anthony just took a few knocks and didn't notice." Ducky assured "Now I must get going. I will see you tomorrow my boy."

"Thanks Ducky." Tony replied as the doctor left the room.

Ziva and McGee arrived a few minutes later but didn't stay long as Tony was getting tired again. When the nurse came in to check on him she was surprised to see how well he was doing. All his vitals had returned to normal and his breathing sounded much better. She decided to remove removed the catheter, much to Tonys delight and then Gibbs helped him change into his sweats and a t-shirt. Tony happily fell asleep soon after that and Gibbs read a newspaper before he too fell asleep.

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_A/N: You guys are great, thanks for all the lovely reviews_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

When Tony woke the next morning he was feeling much better than he had the previous day. He ate all the food he was given and took his meds without complaint.

Brad arrived in later in the morning and checked Tony's chart. Even after the oxygen had been removed, Tony's breathing and pulse ox remained normal. His blood pressure and his temperature had both returned to normal and the man was looking much better.

"I need to do another blood test and if that looks ok I think we can let you go home today." Brad said

"Really." Tony asked excitedly. "That'd be great. But what about the other tests?"

"I've gotten some of those back." Brad replied. "Everything has come back normal so far which is a very good sign."

"Thank God." Tony sighed

"Yeah." Gibbs agreed with a smile. "That's great news."

"It is." Brad agreed "But from now on, I will be doing extra blood tests at all of your check ups."

"Is that necessary?" Tony asked.

"Yes I want to be sure everything is ok." Brad said "I take blood at every check up anyway; it will just be an extra vile."

"Ok." Tony agreed. "So I can go home?"

"You still need to take it easy." Brad said sternly. "You will still be on strong antibiotics, steroids through the nebulizer and your inhalers."

"I know." Tony replied

"I'll be making sure he takes them." Gibbs assured from his seat.

"Great." Brad replied as he readied the syringe.

Tony closed his eyes tightly and Gibbs squeezed his shoulders as Brad inserted the needle. Tony gasped from the pain and Gibbs wrapped his arms tighter around his agent.

"Hopefully that'll be the last one." Brad said as he took the needle out and applied pressure.

"Yeah." Tony agreed. "I've had enough of them to do me a life time."

"Rest a while and I'll be back soon with the results." Brad advised and left the room.

"Are you sure you don't mind me staying with you boss?" Tony asked uncertainly.

"I'm sure Tony." Gibbs said. "You are always welcome there."

"Thanks." Tony replied as Gibbs switched the TV back on.

They watched TV in silence until Brad returned 40 minutes later.

"Everything is looking good Tony." He said as he entered. "I think we can let you go home."

"Thanks." Tony replied and threw the covers off of him.

"Hold your horse's Tony." Brad chuckled. "We need to get rid of the IV."

"Oh yeah." Tony replied and blushed.

Brad called a nurse in and in a few minutes they had Tony disconnected from everything.

"I'm going to get your prescriptions and write up your discharge papers." Brad said "Get changed and when I get back, you can go."

"Ok." Tony agreed and slowly eased himself out of the bed. He was tired now but didn't want to say anything that might make Brad change his mind.

With some help from Gibbs Tony managed to get dressed and had just sat down when Brad returned with a wheelchair and some supplies.

"I have your nebulizer here." Brad said and pointed to the supplies. "You need to use it three times a day for the next week. The antibiotics are the same. Take your inhalers at least 3 times a day but more if you need to. You need as much sleep as you can get and as much rest. Do not go outside. I want to see you back here Monday of next week and I will see how you are doing."

"Fine." Tony replied with a sigh and stood up.

Gibbs helped him into the wheelchair and then they left the room with Brad in tow. Brad walked out to the exit with them and waited with Tony while Gibbs drove the car around. They then both helped Tony into the passenger seat and then after a quick goodbye, Gibbs sped off.

Gibbs actually drove normally, conscious of his sick passenger but they still arrived at his house in good time. He then helped Tony out of the car and into the house. Tony was exhausted at this stage and collapsed onto the couch the second he got inside. Gibbs went back outside and collected the rest of Tony's things. He had already called Abby to tell her that Tony was released and he was sure that Abby had informed the others. When he returned to the house he found Tony fast asleep. He put away the medicines and then lay Tony down properly on the couch. After removing the younger mans shoes, he covered him with some blankets and left him to sleep.

Gibbs kept himself busy by sorting out Tony's room and then by making lunch. When the lunch was ready, he gently woke Tony and helped him to the kitchen.

"This smells good boss." Tony commented as he looked at the food.

Gibbs had made soup, sandwiches, salad and fries. Tony filled his plate and started eating.

"It's good to see your appetite is back." Gibbs commented as Tony finished his food.

"I feel like I haven't eaten in weeks." Tony replied as he drank some water.

"You probably haven't." Gibbs replied as he got up from the table to clean the dishes.

Tony started to get up to help but a look from Gibbs made him quickly sit back down. It only took Gibbs a few minutes to finish the task.

"Take your pills and then let's get you up to your room and you can take your steroids." Gibbs said and handed Tony some pills.

Tony swallowed them down with the last of his water and then followed Gibbs up the stairs. Gibbs led him to the bedroom and Tony was surprised to see it so full.

"Palmer brought over some of your clothes and things that you would need." Gibbs said as Tony sat on the bed. "Abby brought over all the Christmas presents from your place and left them here. She also put a bag of things into the closet."

"That's…. That's great." Tony replied.

"Do you want to watch some TV while you do this?" Gibbs asked as he prepared the nebulizer.

Tony nodded in response and picked up the remote control. Tony had bought a 28" flat screen TV for this room for the many times he had to stay over and it was still here. There was no cable but Tony had it connected to satellite.

"Ok lie back and we'll get this going." Gibbs instructed and Tony obeyed.

When Tony was comfortable, Gibbs put the mask over his face and after injecting the steroids turned the machine on.

Gibbs then went back down stairs to get some drinks and returned to Tony's room. He set the drinks down and then sat down on the bed beside Tony and he too started watching TV, much to Tony's surprise. The nebulizer took a half an hour to run its course and by the time it was done, Tony was leaning against Gibbs as they watched TV.

Gibbs had just removed the nebulizer when they heard someone coming in the front door. They could tell from the sound of the chunky platforms that Abby had arrived with someone else.

"We're up here." Gibbs called from his position on the bed.

A few seconds later Abby appeared in the doorway with McGee behind her.

"Oh Tony, I'm so glad you're out of the hospital." She said and ran for the bed. She sat down and pulled Tony into a gentle hug. "It means you are getting better."

"Yeah I am Abbs." Tony assured but coughed lightly.

"Oh my god what's that." Abby asked as she saw the nebulizer. "Are you sure you are ok. Does he have to use that Gibbs?"

"Calm down Abby." Gibbs ordered. "The nebulizer is so that he can breathe in the steroids in vapour form so it gets to his lungs. He had one after the plague."

"Oh yeah." Abby replied, "Well ok then. I'm so glad you are feeling better."

"Yeah me too." McGee added.

"Me three." Tony replied with a smile. "But I still can't go back to work."

"Damn straight." Gibbs added. "Do you guys want something to drink?"

"Um sure." Tim replied hesitantly. "I'll have whatever is there."

"Yeah me too." Abby agreed and Gibbs got up and went down stairs.

"So are we ok?" Tim asked Tony.

"I don't know McGee." Tony replied honestly. "Look I'm trying to forgive you and trust you again, all of you, but it's not as simple as saying you're sorry. Just because we talked it all through doesn't make it go away."

"We know that Tony." Tim replied softly.

"Just give me some time. I've decided to stay on in NCIS for the moment and you can work on making it up to me."

"All right, that's fair enough." Tim replied just as Gibbs returned carrying a tray with drinks and some snacks.

Gibbs handed Abby a red bull and handed Tim a can of coke.

"Thanks." They both replied happily as Gibbs handed Tony a glass of orange juice.

Gibbs sat back down with his own coffee as everyone sipped their drinks and ate the snacks.

After a few minutes they all heard the door open again and someone else entered.

"We're up here." Gibbs called again.

A minute later Ziva appeared in the doorway.

"Hello." She greeted. "Tony it is good to see you out of the hospital."

"Thanks." Tony replied and shuffled closer to Gibbs to make more room on the bed.

Ziva carefully sat down on the bed and started watching the TV with the others.

"What are we watching?" She asked after a few minutes.

"This is Hawaii 5 0." Tony replied. "Great show from the 80s."

"Yes I am sure." Ziva replied as she settled back.

Nearly an hour later Gibbs eased himself out from under Tony and helped his agent to lie down. Seeing that Tony was asleep, the others got up and left the room so as not to wake him. Gibbs gently tucked him in and joined the others downstairs.

"Do you want to come back over at about 7 for dinner?" Gibbs said. "I'll call Ducky and Palmer to see if they want to join us."

"Yeah cool." Abby replied and bounced up and down.

"I would love to." Ziva added

"Um yeah." McGee agreed, "You should call Vance too. He rang me to see how Tony was."

"Will do." Gibbs replied and led the three to the door. "I'll see you then."

Gibbs then went to the kitchen and started to prepare dinner. He wasn't the best cook but living on his own had made him efficient. He checked the fridge and noticed that he needed to get a few things. He quickly checked on Tony and left a note to explain where he had gone.

Gibbs drove quickly to the grocery store and picked up what he would need for today and for the rest of the week. He returned quickly and checked on Tony, who was still asleep, before starting on the dinner.

He had decided on a roast lamb, which would take nearly 3 hours to cook so he put that in the oven before calling Vance.

"Vance." Vance answered his phone.

"It's Gibbs. Just rang you to let you know Tony is out of hospital and will be staying with me for a few weeks."

"How is he?"

"He'll be fine. He's tired."

"He's a good agent." Vance added. "Tell him he doesn't need to worry about work."

"Why don't you tell him yourself?" Gibbs said. "The team is coming here for dinner at 1900 you are welcome to join us. The wife and kids too."

"That's very generous of you Gibbs." Vance replied. "We'll be there. Can I bring anything?"

"I've got everything covered." Gibbs replied and hung up.

Gibbs spent the next half hour preparing everything else he would need for the dinner. When that was done he cleaned up a little and went to the basement. He was in the middle of making some toys that he would be bringing to the children's hospital one Christmas eve. He spent the next few hours working on those, occasionally going up to check on Tony. At 1800 he left the basement and went up to Tony's room and woke the sleeping man.

"You need to take your nebulizer before dinner." Gibbs said

"Yeah ok." Tony agreed and got up to go to the bathroom as Gibbs got the steroid treatment ready.

"Do you want to do this downstairs?" Gibbs asked

"Yeah that'd be good. I'm sick of being in bed." Tony replied. "I need to change first."

Gibbs helped Tony change into some clean clothes and then helped the younger man downstairs. After making sure Tony was settled on the couch, Gibbs turned on the potatoes and vegetables, before returning upstairs for the nebulizer. By the time Tony started the treatment it was after 18:30. Gibbs busied himself in the kitchen while Tony watched the old television Gibbs had.

At 18:50 the doorbell rang and Gibbs went to answer it, knowing that his team would have just walked in. Vance, Jackie and the two kids were at the door.

"Come in." Gibbs said and stepped aside to let them enter. "Tony is in the living room if you want to join him."

"How is he?" Jackie asked. "Leon told me about everything that happened over the past week."

"He is doing as well as he can." Gibbs replied and then led them to the living room where Tony was sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket with the nebulizer mask strapped to his face.

"Hello Tony." Jackie greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"Ok." Tony replied and went to take the mask off.

"You leave that on." Jackie scolded. "It's not finished yet."

"Not for another 15 minutes." Gibbs added. "Would you like a drink?"

"Yeah sure. I'll give you a hand." Vance said and followed Gibbs to the kitchen.

"Mommy." Kayla said quietly, after a minute of staring at Tony. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's sick honey." Jackie replied and gave an apologetic glance at Tony. "The mask is to help him breathe better."

"Oh." Kayla replied and gave Tony a shy smile.

"Where you in hospital?" Jared asked.

"Yeah." Tony replied and nodded his head, as the front door opened again.

The clomping of boots was heard and then Abby appeared in the door way, followed by Ziva.

"Oh hello. I'm Abby." She greeted

"Hi Abby, I'm Jackie, Leon's wife and this is Kayla and Jared." Jackie replied and held out her hand.

Abby shook her hand as did Ziva.

"How are you feeling Tony?" Ziva asked as Abby sat down beside him and hugged him.

"'M ok." Came Tony's muffled reply.

"Do you have long left with that?" Abby asked worriedly.

"He has about 10 minutes." Jackie replied with a smile as Vance returned with drinks for his wife and kids.

"Gibbs said you couldn't have anything for a while Tony." Vance apologised as he handed out the drinks.

Tony nodded in acknowledgement. A few minutes later Ziva went to the kitchen and Jimmy arrived followed closely by Ducky and McGee.

At 19:05 Gibbs returned to the living room and switched off the nebulizer. Tony quickly removed the mask and grabbed the drink that Gibbs had brought in for him and drank it quickly.

"Dinner is ready." Gibbs said then and everyone made their way to the dining room. Jimmy held back and waited for Tony and they walked in together.

The spread looked fantastic and everyone quickly took their seats as Gibbs carved the roast.

"Mmm looks great boss." Tony said as he took his seat beside Gibbs at the head of the table.

"Yes it does." Jackie added

"Dig in." Gibbs ordered and everyone quickly started filling their plates. There was plenty to go around and everyone ate their fil,l while chatting about nothing in particular. Even the two children got involved in the conversation. Tony tried to keep talking to a minimum but had to add his thoughts on a few occasions, especially when the subject of movies came up.

After the dinner they returned to the living room for coffee and dessert. Tony sent Jimmy upstairs to get his laptop and he set it up so the kids could watch one of the many Disney movies that Tony had.

"Thank you Tony." Jackie said. "There's nothing worse than bored children."

"It's no problem." Tony replied with a grin.

Gibbs made Tony take his pills and inhaler before they settled down. The conversation flowed for the rest of the evening with Jacking asking them all about their jobs and lives. It was like a relaxed version of the therapy sessions. Just before 2200 the film ended and the children were getting tired.

"We should get going." Jackie said. "Thank you for a lovely meal and wonderful company."

"You're welcome." Gibbs replied with a smile.

"Tony we hope you are feeling better soon." Jackie added as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks for letting us watch your movies." Kayla said and gave Tony a hesitant hug.

"You are very welcome." Tony replied with a tired grin.

"Yeah it was cool." Jared added and he too gave Tony a hug. "I hope you don't have to go back to the hospital."

"Me too buddy." Tony replied

"Take care of yourself Tony." Vance said "Take as much time as you need."

"Ah thanks." Tony replied.

"We must also get going." Ducky added as he and the others stood up. "It has been a wonderful evening."

Everyone said their goodbyes and left Gibbs and Tony alone.

"Let's get you to bed." Gibbs said and led Tony up the stairs.

Tony went to the bathroom to take care of business and then returned to his room and changed his clothes. He then climbed into bed and Gibbs tucked him in.

"Night Tony, call if you need me." He said and ruffled Tony's hair.

"Thanks boss." Tony replied with a yawn.

Gibbs smiled as he switched off the light and walked out the door. He went back downstairs to tidy up before going to bed himself.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks again for all of the amazing reviews. I really appreciate them so keep them coming. _


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The following morning Gibbs went to wake Tony when the breakfast was ready. After helping the younger man down stairs, they had some food which Gibbs had prepared. Gibbs then helped Tony into the living room and let him watch some DVDs while he took his steroid treatment.

Gibbs decided to go down to the basement to do some work on the toys he was working on. He needed to have them all done in time for Christmas. He was behind schedule so needed to get as much done as he could. He had intended to ask Tony for help but that was before Tony got sick. Now Tony's lungs couldn't handle the sawdust so Gibbs had to do it all himself.

He spent the rest of the morning working but went back upstairs around lunch time to prepare some food. He found Tony fast asleep on the couch and left him sleep while he got some food ready. A few minutes later he had to wake Tony to give him food and his pills. Tony was starving when he woke and happily accepted the food.

"So what are you doing down in the basement boss." Tony asked after he swallowed a mouthful of food.

"I'm making some toys to bring to the hospital for the kids." Gibbs replied

"That's very nice of you boss." Tony replied impressed. "I normally just give a donation and when I'm off I help at the local soup kitchen."

"Well this year you will be helping me to hand out the toys on Christmas Eve and then at the soup kitchen on Christmas day."

"Really boss, I'd like that. I can help you make the toys if you want."

"As much as I'd like that Tony, the saw dust and the varnish fumes would not be good for your lungs."

"Oh yeah I forgot about that." Tony replied with a smile and continued with his food. "Brad would kill us both."

"Yeah." Gibbs agreed and they both continued eating.

When they were both finished the food, Tony took his nebulizer again and then he went back up to bed to sleep for another while. Gibbs tidied up for a while and then returned to the basement to continue with the toys.

Later that evening, Ziva arrived to cook dinner for the pair and when it was ready, Gibbs woke Tony and the three sat down together.

"How are you feeling today?" Ziva asked as she served up the food.

"Not too bad." Tony replied as he took a bite of the lasagne. "Mmm, this is good."

"I am glad you like it." Ziva replied. "Italian cuisine is not my speciality so I was not sure it would be good."

"It's very good." Gibbs assured as they continued eating.

"Yeah everything tastes great Ziva." Tony added "You can cook for me anytime you want."

"Maybe I will cook for you at my apartment when you are recovered." Ziva suggested.

"Um yeah sure." Tony agreed and continued to eat.

They ate the rest of the meal in silence and then Gibbs volunteered to do the clean up so that Tony and Ziva could talk.

Tony led the way to the living room and they both sat down on the couch.

"I really am glad you are feeling better." Ziva said as they got comfortable.

"Me too." Tony smiled.

"I wanted the chance to talk to you alone." Ziva said uncomfortably. "I know that I am the cause of much of your issues with the team. I know that we still have a lot of issues to work through and I want you to know that I want to work through them. I want you to trust me again."

"Good to hear." Tony replied. "I want to work through everything as well but I just need time. This past week has been a nightmare and at the moment I just want to concentrate on getting better. I do trust you to have my back in the field so long as there is no one from Mossad involved. I do not trust them."

"I understand that." Ziva replied. "I want you to feel comfortable when you come back to work and if there is anything that I can do to help then please let me know."

"Honestly Ziva, at the moment, I need you to show me some respect in the field. The whole thing with Michael was just the tip of iceberg. There are a lot of other things we need to work through."

"I know Tony." Ziva replied "And I am truly sorry for how I treated you."

"No more following me into the men's bathroom and no more forcing me to talk." Tony added with a smirk. "You overstepped your bounds with the whole Jeanne thing and I don't want that to happen again."

"I will remember that." Ziva replied with a smile. "Tony, the reason, the main reason that I did not believe your account of what happened with Michael was because I felt you were jealous of my relationship with him. I would like to know if you have... feelings for me."

"Of course I have feelings for you Ziva." Tony replied softly "You have been my partner for years and we have been through a lot together. But my feelings are not of a romantic nature. I care for you the same way as I do for Abby. I admit the maybe at some stage, when you first joined the team, I may have had romantic feelings for you but that was a while back. Now I care for you as a friend, even after everything has happened."

"I understand Tony." Ziva replied with a sad smile just as Gibbs entered the room.

"Have you sorted everything out?" Gibbs asked as he sat down.

"We have reached an understanding." Ziva replied with a smile. "It will take time to work through our issues but we will."

"Good." Gibbs replied "Do you want to stay to watch a film."

"Yes I would like that very much." Ziva replied

"Set it up" Gibbs ordered as he readied the nebulizer.

Ziva quickly got the DVD ready and Gibbs fitted the mask over Tony's face before turning on the machine. The three of them relaxed as the movie started and spent the next hour and a half enjoying it. Ziva left as soon as the movie was over and Tony went to bed, while Gibbs worked some more on the toys he was making.

Gibbs went to bed soon after 11 but woke a few hours later when he heard moaning coming from Tony's bedroom.

Gibbs hurried into the room and found Tony trashing around in his bed. Gibbs sat on the bed beside Tony and gently lay his hand on Tony's shoulder trying to offer some comfort.

Tony cried out and moved away from Gibbs, still lost in his nightmare.

"Time to wake up Tony." Gibbs called gently and again moved closer to his scared agent. "Come on Tony."

"Please don't." Tony cried.

"Tony, its Gibbs, I'm not going to hurt you." Gibbs assured as he again put his hand on Tony's shoulder.

"Huh" Tony gasped as he sat up and started coughing.

"Easy Tony." Gibbs said softly as he held Tony gently against him.

Tears streamed down Tony's face as he laid back into Gibbs embrace. Tony trembled as he got his breathing under control and hastily wiped the tears off his face.

"I've got you Tony," Gibbs assured.

"Sorry boss. I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's ok Tony. Do you want to tell me what's wrong?"

"It was just a nightmare." Tony replied embarrassedly.

"Was it about your father?" Gibbs asked softly.

Tony nodded his head yes.

"You know, it might help you to talk about what happened." Gibbs said.

"I don't think I can." Tony sobbed.

"Well I'll be here to listen if you ever want to talk." Gibbs assured. "Or you could always speak to a professional if you weren't comfortable talking to me."

"Someone like Anita you mean." Tony scoffed. "I don't think so."

"They're not all like her." Gibbs assured. "There are some good ones out there. You should think about it. It could help."

"I'll think about it." Tony agreed. "I'm ok now boss, you can go back to bed."

"Alright Tony, but call me if you need me." Gibbs replied as he helped the younger man and to lie back down and then left the room.

Gibbs returned to his room and lay awake for some time thinking about Tony and his childhood. He didn't want to replace Kelly but Tony had wormed his way into his heart and now his heart was breaking because he couldn't help his son with his demons. Gibbs eventually fell asleep again, as did Tony.

The following morning Tony was again woken by Gibbs and the two men had breakfast together.

"Don't you have to go to work today boss?" Tony asked as he sat down to take the steroids.

"I'm leaving now as soon as you are set." Gibbs replied. "I'll be back at lunch time, unless we pick up a case. Take it easy for day and get some rest. If we get a case I'll send Abby or Jimmy over."

"I can manage on my own boss." Tony assured. "You don't need to come home or send someone else."

"I know you can." Gibbs replied with a smile. "See you later."

"Don't scare the probies." Tony called after him.

Gibbs laughed as he shut the door behind him. He was in a good mood through his coffee stop and the entire way to the Navy yard. When he arrived he went to see Ducky in autopsy.

"Good morning Jethro." Ducky greeted cheerfully. "How was young Anthony this morning?"

"He's much better." Gibbs replied with a smile. "The coughing isn't half as bad, he's eating all of his meals, but he woke with a nightmare last night."

"Oh dear." Ducky sighed. "That is not good although not unexpected. He relived some things that are quite painful for him. It is bound to cause some nightmares."

"I know Ducky." Gibbs sighed as he walked out of autopsy and headed for his desk.

"How is Tony boss?" McGee asked.

"He's doing well." Gibbs assured as he sat down and started working.

The day was thankfully quiet and Gibbs returned home at lunch time with some food for Tony. After they had eaten the food, Tony again put on the nebulizer to take his steroids. Gibbs left him to watch a movie while he returned to work to complete more paperwork.

The day passed slowly for Gibbs and finally at 1700 he told the others to go home, he left shortly after and collected some Chinese food to have for dinner.

Tony was asleep when Gibbs returned, so Gibbs woke him and served up the food while he waited.

Tony hungrily ate the food as he told Gibbs about the movie he had watched that day. Gibbs listened quietly as he ate, nodding at the appropriate times. When the food was finished, the two men made quick work of the clean up before going to the living room. Tony again set up the nebulizer to take his steroids while they both watched the news.

Later they both watched a film and then some TV before Tony started falling asleep. Gibbs made him go to bed and then went down to the basement. He didn't stay long as he was tired from being awake the previous night. He woke again just after 0200 when he heard Tony screaming.

Gibbs hurried into Tony's room and found Tony struggling to escape from his blankets which had wrapped tightly around him. Gibbs rushed forward and loosened the blankets from his agent.

"It's ok Tony, I've got you." Gibbs assured as he pulled Tony into his arms.

Tears spilled down Tony's face as he clung to Gibbs t-shirt. Gibbs heart broke for the man he cared for as a son. He couldn't take away Tony's demons, so he stayed there for over half an hour holding him and whispering assurances. Eventually Tony fell asleep and Gibbs lay him back against the pillows. He covered him gently and left him to sleep.

This routine continued until Friday night when again Tony woke screaming from a nightmare. The nightmares occurred every night, sometimes more than once, and although Tony was improving, he was exhausted from the lack of a proper night's sleep.

Gibbs again hurried to his agent's room and found fearful green eyes staring back at him.

"Tony, are you ok." Gibbs asked as he sat down on the bed.

Tony shook his head no and pulled his knees up to his chest.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Gibbs asked softly.

"No." Tony whispered.

"Tony, you can't go on like this."

"I'm sorry for waking you again boss." Tony replied as he dried his eyes.

"That's not what I meant." Gibbs growled. "I'll stay up with you every night if you need me to. But you need to get a proper night's sleep and that's not gonna happen until you deal with whatever it is that's going through your head. Tell me about the nightmare."

"It was nothing boss." Tony replied and gave a weak smile.

"If it was nothing, you wouldn't have woken up screaming."

"Yeah your right, I....I was dreaming about one of the times my father left me home alone." Tony admitted. "It was during Christmas holidays and there was a storm outside. There was something hitting off one of the windows for ages and then, turns out it was a tree branch and it broke through the windows downstairs. It woke me up and I was terrified." Tears started to run down Tonys cheeks again as he recalled the dream. "I ran to my father's room but there was no one there. I ran through all the rooms looking for someone, but there was no one in the house. I cut my feet on the broken glass. It hurt so much that I had to crawl back to my room. I pulled the covers over me and stayed there until morning. The nanny found me when she came in the following morning. She found a trail of blood to my room and freaked out. When my father came home, he was so pissed off that I dirtied the carpet that he hit me."

"What age were you?" Gibbs asked softly as he ran his hand through Tony's hair.

"Eleven." Tony replied as he again wiped the tears from his face.

"He shouldn't have left you alone Tony," Gibbs comforted "I'm sorry you had to go through that. Your father was an ass. He didn't deserve a son like you."

"I had to get stitches in both feet." Tony added sadly "I spent the rest of Christmas in bed."

"This Christmas will be different." Gibbs assured.

"Thanks boss." Tony replied with a small smile.

"Lie down and get some rest." Gibbs ordered quietly.

"I don't want to." Tony objected. "I'm sick of the dreams."

"You need your rest." Gibbs said softly. "Tell ya what, I'll stay here and wake you up if you have a nightmare."

"You..You'd do that." Tony asked uncertainly. "For me"

"Ya Tony, just for you." Gibbs replied and lay down beside Tony. "I've got your six Tony."

Tony nodded uncertainly, but closed his eyes and soon fell asleep. He slept for the rest of the night and Gibbs presence kept the nightmares away. Gibbs slept uneasily during the night. He had come to the decision that tomorrow he would have to talk to Tony about the nightmares and about Tony's parents. He didn't want to hurt Tony by bringing up more painful memories, but he knew it had to be done. The more he thought about it the more he hated Tony's parents especially his father. He could never have left Kelly alone no matter what.

* * *

_A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews and alerts. I may not get a chance to post another chapter until maybe Sunday, possibly Monday as I'll be away for the weekend. Sorry!_

_We are very near the end now, only one or two chapters left. _


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Tony was the first to wake on Saturday morning and was surprised to see Gibbs lying in the bed beside him. He smiled at the thought of Gibbs staying with him all night, just to keep away the nightmares. He was surprised that he had such a good sleep and he felt much better because of it. After just lying there for a few minutes, Tony full bladder screamed at him and he tried to get out of the bed without waking his boss.

Gibbs' marine trained senses were at full alert when he felt his charge moving beside him. His eyes snapped open and he turned to Tony.

"Ah I just have to hit the head boss."

"Ok Tony." Gibbs replied and relaxed, knowing Tony was safe.

Gibbs got out of bed and went to his own room to have a shower in the en-suite. When he finished he quickly got dressed and went downstairs to start breakfast. He could hear Tony in the shower so knew he had a few minutes to get everything ready. He quickly mixed up some pancake batter and started cooking. By the time Tony arrived downstairs there was a big stack of chocolate chip pancakes on the kitchen table.

"Wow boss this looks great." Tony gasped as he sat down. "You didn't have to go to so much trouble. I could have had cereal."

"It's no trouble Tony." Gibbs assured as he took his seat. "Now dig in before they get cold."

"Yes boss." Tony replied and grabbed some pancakes and started eating.

Before long all the pancakes had all been eaten and both men were happily stuffed.

"What's the plan for today boss?" Tony asked as they started to clean up.

"I was thinking that we could go out for lunch. I'm sure you are sick of being stuck in the house."

"Yeah I am." Tony agreed. "I can't wait to get back to work. As much as I love films, there's only so many I can watch."

"I have a few things you help me with before that." Gibbs replied with a smile. "I can't let you work on making the toys but I can get you to put on some wheels and propellers and then wrap them."

"I can do that." Tony agreed happily and followed Gibbs to the sitting room.

"Stay here, I'll be back in a minute." Gibbs ordered and went down to the basement.

He quickly gathered up the nearly finished toys and their parts and then returned to sitting room.

He gently put all of the toys down on the coffee table and then went to the cupboard in the hall and took out a few rolls of wrapping paper and tape. He set these down on the couch beside Tony.

"There, that should get you started." Gibbs said. "The wheels just snap onto the cars

"I think I can manage that." Tony said and grabbed the first car and four wheels. He quickly snapped on the wheels and drove the car along the table to make sure they worked.

"Good job Tony." Gibbs praised. "I'll be in the basement working on more of these. Put on your nebulizer while you're doing that."

"Sure boss" Tony replied and put on his nebulizer and switched on some music.

Gibbs worked in his basement for the next few hours while Tony worked on wrapping the toys.

At just after 1230 Gibbs went back upstairs and found Tony still wrapping.

"Come on Tony, let's go get some lunch."

"Great boss, I'm starving." Tony replied and stood up.

"Get your coat, scarf, hat and gloves. It's cold out." Gibbs ordered.

"On it boss." Tony replied and hurried to the closet and grabbed everything.

When they were both wrapped up they went out to Gibbs truck. When they were both strapped in, Gibbs reversed out of the driveway and headed for the nearest restaurant. It was a small family run place that served great homemade food. The pair quickly went inside and they were shown to one of tables near the back. They placed their orders and sat back and relaxed while they waited.

"Ducky and Jimmy are coming over later to visit." Gibbs said after a few minutes. "I'll cook dinner for us all."

"That'd be good boss but I can cook if you want." Tony replied as the food was set down in front of them. "You did all the cooking for the past week."

"You're recovering." Gibbs sighed

"Yeah, but I'm feeling much better now and I make a mean bolognaise." Tony protested "It won't take too much time to cook. I can start it when we get home and let it simmer for a few hours."

"Alright." Gibbs agreed and they both continued eating.

When they finished eating they returned home and Tony took his steroids and then started on dinner. Gibbs cleaned up a bit and put the wrapped toys away. When the house was tidy and the dinner was simmering, the two men sat down and watched some TV. Ducky and Jimmy were due at 1800 so Gibbs knew he had plenty of time to talk. Tony wasn't as tired as he had been so didn't need to take naps anymore.

"Tony we need to talk about what your father did to you." Gibbs said after a few minutes. "I know you don't want to but I think it will help."

"What do you want me to say boss." Tony asked quietly. "You know he ignored me and sometimes hit me, what more is there to say."

"I don't really know Tony." Gibbs admitted with a sigh. "But something is causing these nightmares."

"Yeah and her name is Anita." Tony barked. "God, I was doing all right until she brought it up. I had pushed it all away to the back of my mind."

"You didn't have to answer the question Tony."

"What are you saying? Do you think I wanted all this?" Tony yelled as he stood up and started pacing "Damn it Gibbs it took me a long time to be able to deal with it. Why the hell would I want it all out in the open."

"So that you would have someone to talk to about it." Gibbs suggested. "Look I'm no shrink, but I can tell this is eating you up inside and has been for years. I might not know exactly how you feel but I've had my fair share of demons and I know what the nightmares are like."

"How do you deal with them boss." Tony asked as he calmed down and stopped pacing. "How do you make them stop?"

"Before Shannon was killed I used to talk to her about it." Gibbs admitted. "Not the specifics but just what was bothering me and she'd always help me to work through it."

"And now?"

"Now, I work on my boat."

"I don't have a boat" Tony replied with a small smile.

"No, but you do have me and I'll listen if you want to talk. Tell me what's bothering you the most."

"Promise you won't get mad." Tony begged as he sat back down on the couch.

"I promise Tony." Gibbs agreed as he placed his hand gently around Tony's shoulders and waited patiently for Tony to start.

"The nightmares I've been having, well, they are about all of the things that happened to me, things my father done, but in the nightmares, it's not him doing them."

"Who is it?" Gibbs asked hesitantly, fearing he already knew the answer.

"I, well, most of the time it's...it's you boss." Tony stuttered and closed his eyes. "Sometimes McGee and Ziva are with you and sometimes Vance is there."

"Do I hurt you in them?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah." Tony replied and a choked sobbed escaped his throat. "I know it's not real but it's...it's just so hard to wake up."

"I've got you Tony." Gibbs assured as he pulled his agent into a tight embrace.

"I know Gibbs." Tony replied after a minute. "And when I wake up and see you there, I remember that and I feel ok."

"I'd never hurt you purposely" Gibbs assured. "I know I've been a bastard and I've hurt you, but it was never my intention."

"That's part of the problem." Tony added angrily and pulled away from Gibbs and dried his face "My father didn't purposely leave me in a hotel or purposely leave me home alone, he just forgot and you just seem to forget that your actions hurt others, that they hurt me."

"I'm sorry Tony." Gibbs sighed. "I swear to you I am nothing like your father and I don't want to be. I'm not perfect, far from it, but I need you to tell me when I'm screwing up. A lot of the time I just don't realise what I'm doing."

"I can do that boss." Tony replied with a small smile.

'Thank God.' Gibbs thought to himself and smiled at Tony.

"I'll say the same thing to you as I did to McGee and Ziva." Tony continued after a small cough. "Give me some time, it took a while to lose the trust we had and it will take time to build it up again."

"I know Tony and I'm hoping this is a start."

"This, all of this, is a good start boss." Tony assured with a genuine smile. "I really appreciate you letting me stay here and you taking care of me. It's definitely not something my father would've done for me."

"I really do think of you like a son Tony." Gibbs admitted. "I'll do whatever it takes to fix this. I don't want to lose you from the team or from my life."

"I don't either." Tony agreed followed by another cough. "You're the closest thing I have to a father, a proper father. When I was a kid, especially when I was sick, I used to watch all these films that showed happy families and I always wished that my dad was like them. The first time I got injured, just after I started with NCIS, when I woke up in the hospital you were sitting beside my bed. You took me home with you and took care of me. I remember thinking that you would have been a great Dad. I still think that."

"I'm glad to hear it." Gibbs smiled.

"You just haven't been a great co worker lately." Tony added.

"I know and as soon as we get back to work, I'll work on that." Gibbs replied "But for now I'm going to work on being a good friend and a good Dad."

"I can live with that." Tony replied and turned back to the TV, ending the conversation.

Just before 1800 Tony put on the pasta and the garlic bread, while Gibbs set the table and put out the salad that Tony had already prepared. A few minutes later they heard a car pull into the driveway.

"Hello gentlemen." Ducky greeted as he entered the house.

"Hey Ducky." Tony called from the kitchen. "Where's Jimmy?"

"I'm here." Jimmy called as he entered carrying a pie. "I brought desert."

"Thanks Jimmy." Tony replied happily.  
"Dinner's just about ready." Gibbs added "Take a seat."

"It smells absolutely delicious." Ducky praised. "You have outdone yourself Jethro."

"This was all Tony." Gibbs replied as Tony put the spaghetti bolognaise on the table.

He carefully filled four plates and handed them out to everyone before taking his own seat. Everyone hungrily started eating.

"This is absolutely wonderful my boy." Ducky said as he picked up some garlic bread. "I have no idea you were such a wonderful cook."

"Thank Ducky." Tony replied "I can only cook a few dishes, mostly Italian food."

"No matter, this is delicious."

"Tony's lasagne is fantastic, one of the best I've had." Jimmy added as continued eating. "His Alfredo sauce is delicious and that tuna pasta bake thing is great."

"I have not had the pleasure of tasting those." Ducky replied.

"Neither have I." Gibbs added.

"Jimmy comes around for dinner a few times a week." Tony said. "I usually cook a lot of food at the weekend and freeze it so that I'll have a quick meal ready when I get home late and I always have so Jimmy helps me eat it."

"I don't get a lot of time to cook." Jimmy added, "When I'm not at work, I'm in classes or studying so it's really great to get something other than take out."

"Do you get much chance to study Tony?" Ducky asked as he ate some salad.

"Not really. When Jimmy come over we normally study for a while and at the weekends I try to study as much as I can but I have to catch up on shopping and cleaning. I also play football on Sundays when the weather is nice."

"Who do play with?" Gibbs asked.

"I ah, I coach a nearby kids team. It's a poor area and they don't have much money. I play after the coaching sessions with some of the parents and with a few of my friends."

"How wonderful." Ducky said. "That is very good of you to give up your free time like that."

"It's not much." Tony sighed.

"It's more than a lot of people do." Ducky argued

Tony spent the rest of the meal telling them about the kids on the team and soon they were finished eating. Gibbs and Ducky tidied up while Jimmy and Tony went to the living room. Tony had to take his steroids so put on the nebulizer while Jimmy turned on some music.

"Sorry I haven't been around much." Jimmy said as he sat down. "I have exams on Monday and Tuesday so I've been studying a lot."

"It's ok Jimmy." Tony mumbled assuredly. "I know you're busy. Don't worry about it."

"Yeah but I still feel bad." Jimmy sighed. "I know it's been hard for you."

"It's actually been ok." Tony replied "Gibbs has been great; he's really trying to make it up to me."

"That's good."

"Yeah it is." Tony replied happily as the two older men entered the room.

"Would you mind if I gave you a quick examination Anthony." Ducky asked. "I can see you are feeling much better but I would like to confirm it."

"Sure Ducky."

Ducky went to the hall and picked up his bag from where he had left it when he came in. He quickly took Tony's vitals and listened to his lungs.

"Well Duck." Gibbs asked.

"His lungs sound clear enough and his temperature and blood pressure are normal." Ducky informed. "I am sure that Bradley will permit you to return to work."

"Good." Tony replied with a smile. "I can't wait to finish with the steroids, they make me hungry and they make me out on weight."

"They are some of the unfortunate side effects of steroids." Ducky sighed. "I am sure you will return to your normal weight within a few months of finishing them."

"I know." Tony sighed.

"Now, I think we should get going." Duck said as he tidied away his equipment. "You look a bit tired."

"Yeah I am a little bit." Tony admitted "The steroids make me tired."

"Try and get some rest lad and we'll see you next week and thank you for a wonderful meal and for your company."

"Yeah thanks Tonys."

"No problem." Tony replied followed by a small cough as Gibbs led the guests to the door.

"See you on Monday." Gibbs called before he closed the door.

Gibbs returned to the sitting room and sat beside Tony. "That went well."

Tony nodded in agreement.

"Abby is coming over for dinner tomorrow evening. Do you want to invite McGee and Ziva?"

"Yeah sure." Tony replied and nodded.

"I'll call them and let them know." Gibbs said and left the room.

He returned just as Tony took off his nebulizer. Both agents had jumper at the chance to come over for dinner. Gibbs switched off the cd player and pulled out a book as Tony picked up his own book. They spent the next hour reading and then Tony started yawning.

"Bed time Tony." Gibbs said without taking his eyes off the book.

"Ok boss." Tony agreed and got up "Night Gibbs, see you tomorrow."

"Night Tony." Gibbs called.

Tony quickly got ready for bed and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Gibbs went to the basement and worked for two hours before he too started yawning. He went to his room and got ready for bed. Instead of getting into his own bed, he went to Tony's room and after checking on him he climbed into the bed in hopes of keeping Tony's nightmares at bay. After a few minutes of watching Tony sleep, Gibbs closed his eyes and he too succumbed to tiredness.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks so much for all of the fantastic reviews and I'm sorry for the delay. The next chapter will hopefully be up on Wednesday as I'm going out tomorrow night so may not have time to post. _


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

When Tony woke he was surprised to see the bright morning sunshine streaming through the window. He had slept through the whole night without a nightmare. He turned over to find Gibbs asleep in the bed beside him. He smiled at the man beside him, his trust was growing more as the days went on and for once he was looking forward to Christmas.

He was just about to get up when Gibbs eyes opened.

"Morning Tony." Gibbs greeted with a smile. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah I did." Tony replied with a shy smile. "Thanks to you."

"It's almost 10." Gibbs said surprised as he glanced at his watch.

"Huh, must have been tired." Tony said as he climbed out of bed.

"Yeah." Gibbs agreed as he too got out of bed. "I'm gonna have a shower. See you downstairs in a few minutes."

"Sure boss." Tony replied with a smile and closed the bathroom door.

20 minutes later both men went down stair and together they started on breakfast. They threw together a huge brunch and they both ate their fill.

"I'm gonna be huge by the time Christmas is over." Tony sighed. "I already have a bubble butt."

"You're fine Tony." Gibbs assured as they started the clean up.

"No I'm not boss." Tony growled. "The stupid steroids make me put on weight and everyone keeps handing out chocolates and stuff over the holidays."

"You don't have to take them." Gibbs said.

"Yeah but the steroids also make me hungry." Tony sighed. "And I can't resist chocolate."

"I'll have to remind you then." Gibbs replied with a smirk.

"Thanks boss. So when is your dad getting here?"

"He said Christmas eve." Gibbs replied "If he doesn't change his mind."

"He won't change his mind." Tony assured "He seems to want to be involved in your life."

"Yeah." Gibbs sighed "We have a lot of catching up to do."

"Better late than never." Tony added. "Are you working on the toys again today?"

"For a while anyway. You can help again."

"Yeah sure boss. I've nothing else to do."

"Watch some TV, or read for a while and I'll bring more toys up to you."

"I could go down with you." Tony suggested. "I'm better now so the dust won't bother me."

"I don't know Tony."

"I'm finished with the antibiotics since Friday and the steroids since, well only last night, but still, I'll be fine."

"Ok Tony." Gibbs relented with a grin. "But if you start coughing you're back upstairs straight away."

"Sure boss." Tony agreed happily and opened the basement door.

The two men went down the stairs and Tony was shocked to see the amount of toys.

"There are a lot of kids." Gibbs said, reading Tony's thoughts. "Some of them are for the orphanage that's near the hospital."

"That's good boss." Tony said as he inspected all of the toys. "Those kids have nothing."

"The bigger toys are for the orphans." Gibbs continued. "I didn't even know there was an orphanage until last year. I brought some toys to the hospital and one of the orphans was in there and the kid, she was so happy with what she got that I decided to bring the toys to them this year."

"What do you want me to do?" Tony asked.

Gibbs patiently showed Tony what he wanted to do and they worked in companionable silence for the next few hours with the radio humming in the background.

At just before 1700 Gibbs and Tony went up stairs and started on the dinner. Gibbs put on the meat while Tony prepared the vegetables and potatoes. While the dinner was cooking they went to the sitting room and read their books some more.

Ziva and Tim were due at 1800 and they arrived just as Tony and Gibbs were finished dishing up the food.

"Hey Probies and Abby, just in time." Tony called as the pair made their way into the kitchen.

"Wow, this looks great." McGee said as he eyed the food hungrily.

"Hey Gibbs, Hey Tony." Abby greeted as she gave both men a big hug.

"Sit down and dig in." Gibbs ordered as he and Tony took their seats.

Ziva and McGee quickly followed suit and sat down. After giving Tony another quick hug, Abby also sat down,

"This is very good." Ziva praised as she took a bite.

"Yeah." Tim agreed.

"Gibbs always cooks a great dinner." Abby commented as she ate hers.

"Tony helped with everything." Gibbs added.

"I did not know you could cook Tony." Ziva said.

"I can cook a bit." Tony replied.

"You should try his bolognaise." Gibbs said. "It's the best I've had."

"Thanks boss." Tony replied bashfully. "So what have you guys been doing all weekend?"

"I went out on Friday night to a new club." Abby said excitedly. "It wasn't really my scene but you would love it Tony. We totally have to go there after Christmas. Then yesterday I spent the day with the nuns. They are doing some renovations so I offered to help them. I stayed with them last night and went to church with them this morning. That was it really. I done some laundry when I got home and then I came here."

"What about you McGee." Tony asked.

"Oh um, I really didn't do much. I met Sarah for lunch yesterday and we spent the rest of the day together just catching up. I spent the evening writing some of my book. That was it really."

"I spent my weekend studying." Ziva said "There is a lot to learn to become an American. I also have to complete my degree so all of my spare time has been spent studying."

"How long did they give you to finish the degree?" Tony asked as he stuffed his mouth with more food.

"I have until June to complete my Degree and also to pass my citizenship exam." Ziva replied. "I cannot even be a proper probationary agent until then so I want to get them done as soon as possible."

"I understand." Tony replied with a smile. "I know how hard it is to get time to study, especially with our job."

"How is your computer course going?" McGee asked

"Slowly." Tony replied "I don't have a lot of time to get everything done, but I'm managing. I'm surprised that I actually understand most of it."

"I always thought you understood what I was saying." McGee grinned

"Not that much." Tony laughed. "Most of it is still mumbo jumbo."

"Well I still haven't a clue what you go one about." Gibbs smirked

"Neither do I." Ziva admitted "It can be frustrating."

"Which is why I started the computer course." Tony added.

"It is also expensive to complete the courses" Ziva sighed. "I cannot imagine having to pay for a full University education in this country."

"Yeah it is." McGee replied. "I only got my college loans paid off when I published my book."

"Wow."

"Yeah." McGee sighed. "Sarah is up to her eyeballs in loans."

"What about you Tony." Ziva asked "Did you have a lot of loans."

"No I didn't have any." Tony replied

"Did your father pay for everything?"

"No, my father cut me off when I was twelve." Tony replied "I got a full sport scholarship and I worked a few jobs so I wouldn't need to get a loan. What about you Abby?"

"I got a partial scholarship but I still needed to get a loan to pay for most things." Abby replied "My parents helped as much as they could."

"What about you Ziva?" Gibbs asked as he listen and ate.

"My father paid for the bit that I did." Ziva replied. "I did enjoy it and I had hoped to stay longer but my Father and Mossad had other plans."

"I loved college." Tony smiled reminiscently. "They were good times."

"Yes the parties and the babes." Ziva said.

"Well they didn't hurt." Tony grinned "But for the first time, I was totally free. I didn't have to back to my father's house; I had my own money, my own friends and my own life."

"I am sorry Tony." Ziva said sadly.

"For what?"

"I did not mean to bring up painful memories."

"You didn't" Tony assured "Those were some of the best times of my life."

"But it must have been hard." Abby interrupted. "Having to work, to study and play football."

"It was worth it. If I had wanted to take the easy way out, I could have gone to Harvard like my father wanted and studied business. He would have paid for everything. But then I would have still been under his thumb. I wanted to play football and I wanted to be free of him. I didn't want to owe him anything."

"I understand." Ziva said thoughtfully.

"We should tidy up." Abby said as she noticed the time. "You have a big day tomorrow Tony,"

"Yeah hopefully Brad will let me back to work."

"I'm sure he will." McGee assured as he brought some plated to the sink. "You look a whole lot better than you did last week."

"Thanks Tim." Tony replied with a grin. "I bet you miss me at work. No one to keep you entertained."

"Of course we do." Tim replied. "There is always someone at your desk looking for your opinion on something and when they hear you are out they ask me or Ziva and we really don't know what to tell them. Plus we miss your jokes and stuff."

"I'm glad." Tony smirked.

"We will be very happy to have you back." Ziva added with a grin.

The group made quick work of the tidy up and Ziva, Abby and McGee left for the night. They all had to be up early for work the following morning. Gibbs and Tony sat down to relax for a while and switched on the news.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Gibbs asked Tony

"Not really nervous." Tony replied "I'm just anxious to get back to work and I hope that Brad clears me. I really don't want to be off any longer."  
"I'm sure everything will be fine."

"I'm gonna go to bed boss." Tony said with a yawn. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah I'll pick you up at noon and drive you to Bethesda."

"Thanks boss." Tony smiled softly and made his way to his room and went to sleep.

Gibbs went to bed a while later and decided to stay in his own room. He would go to Tony if he had a nightmare but he hoped they would stay away.

Monday morning arrived late for Tony. He had slept through the night without any major nightmares. Gibbs had already left for work so Tony took his time having his shower and then ate a leisurely breakfast in front of the TV. After he tidied up, he changed his clothes and waited impatiently for Gibbs to arrive.

"Hey Tony." Gibbs greeted the man as he walked into the house exactly on time.

"Hey boss. You ready to go." Tony replied as he pulled on his coat.

"Sure, car is still running. Let's go."

The drive to Bethesda was quick with Gibbs behind the wheel. They had an appointment so only had to wait a few minutes before they were shown to a room where Brad was waiting.

"Hello Tony, how are you feeling?" Brad greeted "Hey Gibbs."

"I'm much better." Tony replied as Gibbs gave a nod in greeting.

"Good to hear." Brad replied. "Now take off your top and hop up on the bed."

Tony did as instructed and Brad started his exam. He took Tony's vitals and listened to Tony's lungs and heart.

"Everything sounds good." Brad confirmed. "I'm just going to take some blood and then we'll get your x-rays."

"Sure." Tony agreed.

Gibbs held Tony as Brad took some blood then the three of them made their way to x-ray. Within a few minutes, Tony was lying down and having a series of chest x-rays taken. They were then returned to the room where they waited for Brad to return. They waited in silence for just under half an hour when Brad walked in. The doctor put two sets of x rays up on the light box.

"What's the verdict." Tony asked

"The infection has cleared up." Brad replied. "The image here on the left is the one we took when you first came in. The one on the right is the one we just took now. You can see the white shadowing area has decreased."

"Will it go away totally." Gibbs asked.

"No the rest of what you see is the scarring from the Y pestis." Brad replied with a sigh. "The problem is that with every bout of pneumonia the more the scarring will increase. Thankfully this dose was mild and we caught it early so it doesn't have appeared to have caused any extra scarring."

"That's good." Tony sighed.

"Yes it is, now I'm happy for you to go back to work but try not to run after any suspects or get shot."

"I'll try my best." Tony promised. "Thanks Brad."

"No problem Tony." Brad replied and shook Tony's hand. "Call me if you start feeling unwell again, even if it's just a sniffle and wrap up warm."

"Got it."

"I'll keep an eye on him." Gibbs assured as he too shook Brad's hand.

"Let's go." Tony said as he moved across the room "We've to get to work."

"Not until tomorrow." Gibbs said "It's too late to go to work."

"Good Luck." Brad called as the two made their way out of the hospital.

Gibbs stopped at a restaurant on the way home and the two men got some dinner. When they finished they returned home and continued with the toys they were working on. They later went to bed early as Tony was eager to get back to work.

* * *

_A/N: Thank again for all the reviews and alerts. I love em. _


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Both Tony and Gibbs were up early the next morning. They had a quick breakfast and then Gibbs drove to the office. Tony had learnt his lesson from when he had returned from sick leave when he had the plague. Kate and Tim hadn't seemed happy to see him, so this time he didn't make a big deal of it and just sat down at his desk.

"Tony, it is good to see you are back." Ziva said as soon as she saw him.

"Oh hey Tony." Tim greeted. "Good to see you back. Are you better?"

"Yup, 100%." Tony replied happily. "Brad cleared me yesterday."

"That's good to hear." Vance said as he entered the bullpen.

"Thanks." Tony replied

"Jackie and the kids said to say hi." Vance continued and handed Tony a tiny slip of paper. "We did the draw for the secret Santa while you were out. That's the name of your secret Santa."

"Oh thanks." Tony replied and after looking at the name he groaned.

"We have to give the presents out on Christmas Eve." McGee said

"Oh, that doesn't give me much time." Tony sighed "I don't have a clue what to get."

"I'm sure you'll think of something." Vance said and started to walk away. "It's good to have you back DiNozzo."

Tony nodded and gave a small smile.

A minute later a squeal was heard and Abby came rushing up to Tony's desk. She threw herself onto his lap and gave him a huge hug.

"Tony, I am so glad you are back. It's been so quiet without you. I really missed you, we all missed you. Didn't we."

"Of course we did." Ziva confirmed with a smile.

"Ah Anthony, welcome back." Ducky greeted as he and Jimmy joined the group.

"Thanks Duck." Tony smiled. "Hey Jimmy."

"Hey Tony. You're looking better. Brad obviously cleared you. Stay out of trouble this time."

"Yeah he did." Tony grinned. "And I'll try."

"It won't be like last time." Gibbs assured. "If we get a call for anything suspicious, Tony will be staying well away from it."

"What happened the last time?" Ziva asked curiously,

"Ari." Gibbs growled.

"Tony nearly got blown up the day he came back from sick leave." Abby elaborated. "He saved Kate and McGee but he was still ill and being blown up made him collapse at the scene."

"I was not aware of that." Ziva said "That means that you were only just back at work when I first met you."

"Yeah"

"We will try not to get into trouble today." McGee smirked "We'll try to make it an easy day."

And it was. The team didn't get any call outs so the day was spent catching up on paperwork and cold cases. They were all very glad of this as they didn't want to have Tony going out in the cold if he didn't have to. Ziva went on the lunch run and they all ate at their desks. Soon it was time to go home.

"Boss could you drop me around to my place?" Tony asked as they walked to the car.

"Sure, do you need to pick something up?"

"Yeah I just want to get my mail and some clothes." Tony replied and hesitantly continued. "And I can collect my car, just in case I need it over the Christmas."

"Alright." Gibbs agreed as they climbed into the car.

They drove to Tony department and after picking up the post they went up the two flights of stairs to Tony's apartment. Tony unlocked the door and they went in. Tony looked through the letters as he made his way to his bedroom and Gibbs sat down to wait. Tony quickly packed a few things and returned to the living room.

"Let's go." Gibbs said and the pair left the apartment.

They took the two separate cars back to Gibbs house and they started on dinner. Again that evening they worked on the toys in silence. Tony was able to help with the varnishing and painting now that he had been cleared so they got a lot of work done. Tony still got tired easily but tried not to let Gibbs know. But Gibbs noticed that Tony was yawning and knew that he still had not fully recovered. At 2130 Gibbs started putting everything away and ordered Tony to go to bed. Tony reluctantly agreed and they both went bed early.

They were called into work early the next morning and of course they had to get a tough case the day before Christmas Eve and it had to be outside. Tony was freezing as they examined the scene, but continued with his work after his colleagues refused to give him their hand warmers and underwear. He had dressed warmly but the cold just seemed to affect him more than the others. Gibbs was threating him normally even though he could tell Tony was tired. He had spent the night thinking about the Secret Santa, he had to find something quickly for Deloris. He was at a loss as what to get her. Ziva kept telling him that Deloris was just a lonely woman and not that bad.

This made Tony think of himself and he thought that maybe Ziva was right. He decided to look into her personnel file to see if maybe there was something in there that would help. There was something mention so he decided to call her mother and the call was very enlightening. So he began his search for the doll. Luckily he found a shop in DC which had one so he used his lunch time to collect it.

Gibbs had told him that Jack had arrived earlier than expected and thought that there was something up. When Jack arrived at NCIS he was his usual self but Tony could see he was a bit distracted. The chocolate he brought was delicious but after Gibbs called him bubble butt Tony decided not to have another. He knew Gibbs was just doing what Tony had asked so he wasn't upset.

Tony had decided to go to Jimmy's that night to give the two a chance to talk. Gibbs had assured him that he wouldn't be in the way, but Tony insisted on giving them some time alone. He collected Jimmy from autopsy and they stopped on the way to his apartment to pick up a pizza. They had worked very late so they were both very tired. As soon as they had finished the pizza they both went to bed. Tony was tired after the long day and his nose was feeling a bit runny, he hoped he wasn't getting another cold.

They were in the office early the next morning trying to solve the murder. Tony had Deloris's present wrapped and he was going to give it to her that evening. They were kept busy all day closing up the case. McGee had told Deloris that Tony was his secret santa and she had called him demanding that he get her something nice. Gibbs was nearby by when he heard Tony talking and telling Deloris he had a cold. He quickly placed a call to Brad.

They were all delighted to get the case resolved and finished but Tony was dreading giving Deloris her present. With a little help from Ziva he got the courage and gave it to her. He quickly explained the present to her before she opened it. Her tears of happiness surprised him and he was unsure what to do, so he just smiled a genuine smile. He was delighted that his present had brought her some happiness.

He went back downstairs to collect Abby so they could go to Gibbs house and start the Christmas festivities. Gibbs had already gone home to get things ready.

"Hey Abbs, are you ready." He asked as he entered the lab.

"Oh um hey Tony." Abby replied unenthusiastically.

"What's wrong Abbs?"

"Oh well um, you remember how I said my parents were going away."

"Yeah." Toy replied.

"Well the cruise was cancelled and they asked me to spend Christmas with them." Abby replied quickly "I told them that I had made other plans but they were very insistent and well I have to catch a flight in an hour."

"Oh." Tony replied sadly "Well that's good, you'll have a good time with your family."

"I'm sorry Tony, I know you were looking forward to us spending time together."

"It's ok Abby." Tony assured with a forced smile "You'll have a great time with your family."

"Yeah and you'll have a great time with Gibbs and Jack." Abby added.

"Yeah hopefully." Tony replied and pulled Abby into a hug "Well have a great time and Happy Christmas."

"You too." Abby replied as Tony headed for the door.

By the time Tony got back upstairs everyone had already left for the night so Tony grabbed his things and headed for Gibbs house.

When Tony pulled up outside the house he saw Jack and Gibbs coming out of the house with bags of toys.

"Tony there you are" Gibbs greeted. "Come on and get in the car so we can give out these present."

"Um ok sure." Tony replied "Hey Jack."

"Hello Tony." Jack replied "You're coming with us then."

"Um yeah if that's ok."

"Of course it is." Jack replied with a smile and they all climbed into the car.

The first stop was the orphanage where they dropped off some of the toys. When they arrived at the hospital, they all grabbed a bag and headed for the children's ward. There were a lot of sick kids stuck in hospital over the Christmas. Gibbs set the bags down and started unpacking all of the toys and then he, Jack and Tony started handing them out. It wasn't long before every child had a toy and they all sat around playing. Tony sat on a chair watching them playing happily; glad that he could help to cheer them up. It was then that he saw Brad walking towards him.

"Hey Brad, what are you doing here." Tony asked as he stood up.

"Gibbs told me you were here and I wanted to give you a check up." Brad replied

"I'm fine Brad." Tony assured

"Humour me. Now take a seat on the bed here."

Tony did as instructed with a sigh and Gibbs moved beside him.

"He was out in the cold for a while yesterday." Gibbs told Brad

Brad carefully listened to Tony's lungs and took his temperature and blood pressure.

"Tony, your temperature is up a little bit, but your lungs seem to be ok so far. I'm going to put you on another course of antibiotics and more steroid treatments. Your lungs are not strong enough to handle another infection so soon."

"Ok." Tony sighed in agreement.

"Great, you wait there and I'll get your meds. I also need to do a blood test just to be safe." Brad said and hurried out the door.

"Are you sick too?" A little boy of about 8 asked as he stood beside the bed Tony was in.

"Um yeah." Tony replied uncertainly.

"How come you are in the kid's room?" he asked. "You're a grown up."

"He won't be staying long." Gibbs replied "He's just getting some medicine and then he'll be going home."

"You're lucky; my dad won't let me go home. You have a nice Dad."

"He just wants you to get better." Tony replied with a smile "My Dad made me stay in the hospital last week and I didn't like it, but I got better."

"Oh," the boy replied. "Did you see the car I got?"

"Yeah it's really cool." Tony replied just as Brad returned.

"Let's get you set up with the nebulizer and then I can take some blood." Brad said.

"You have a neblizer too." The boy said with a scowl. "I don't like 'em."

"Mark there you are." An older man said as he hurried over. "The doctor is looking for you."

"I was talking to my friend Daddy." Mark replied. "He's got a neblizer too."

"Well you need to get back to your bed to take your nebulizer and have some blood taken."

"But I don't want to." Mark cried as tears started to flow down his cheeks.

"But your friend is taking his and he is getting a blood test." The boy's father replied and turned to Tony. "I'm sorry about this. He really hates needles and the nebulizer."

"It's ok." Tony replied with a grin "I know how he feels."

"Can I ask why you are in the children's ward?"

"We came to hand out presents." Gibbs replied "Tony was in hospital last week and his doctor here just wanted to give him a check up."

"Ah I see." The father replied "Well I hope you are better soon."

"Thanks." Tony replied.

"Daddy, I don't want a needle." Mark cried pulling away from his father.

"Please Mark." The father pleaded "Tony is going to have one and he's not crying."

"How about Mark watches Tony and then he can get his blood test." Brad suggested as he prepared the syringe. "He can even sit beside Tony and they can both take their nebulizers together."

"Yeah." Mark agreed and stopped fighting his father.

"I'll just go get his doctor." The father said and hurried off to another room.

He returned a few minutes later, followed by an older man pushing a cart with equipment on it.

He pulled another bed over beside Tonys and Mark climbed onto it.

"Thanks for your help. I'm Dr. Casey." The doctor said as he set up the equipment.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Pitt." Brad replied "And it's no problem."

"Dr. Pitt as in Dr. Brad Pitt." Dr. Casey replied and Brad nodded. "I've read your paper on your patient with pneumonic plague. It was very interesting. I didn't realise you worked in the children's ward."

"Thank you. I don't work in the children's ward. I'm here as a favour. I would like to introduce you to Tony DiNozzo, my plague patient."

"Oh wow. It's good to meet you. Can I ask what's wrong? Is it related to the plague?"

"He had a mild case of pneumonia a week or so ago." Brad replied. "Because of the scarring on his lungs, it affects him more than it would others. I'm being overly cautious."

"Let's get this started then." Dr Casey replied and turned back to Mark. "Are you ready?"

"Um ok." Mark replied hesitantly and looked over at Tony.

Gibbs sat on the bed beside Tony and put his arm around Tony's shoulders.

"Daddy." Mark whined. "Can you sit beside me like Tony's daddy?"

"Sure buddy." The father replied and sat on the bed as Gibbs was doing.

Both doctors prepared their patients arms and then gently slid the needle in. Tony winced and grabbed Gibbs hand.

"Oww." Mark cried and buried his head in his father's shoulder.

The two doctors quickly withdrew the required blood and eased the needles out.

"All done." Dr Casey announced as he applied a band aid. "Now it's time for the nebulizer."

Both doctors started the treatments and took the vitals of their patients.

"How is he doing?" Jack asked as he joined the group.

"He's doing alright." Gibbs replied softly. "He needs to take it easy for a while."

"What's with the mask?" Jack asked.

"It's a steroid treatment." Brad explained. "It's to help strengthen his lungs. He was on a course of steroids and antibiotics up until last week."

"And they didn't work?" Jack asked.

"They did, but he's been out in the cold and his immune system won't be able to fight a virus." Brad sighed. "He already has a temperature so we want to stop anything before it starts."

"Is he contagious?" Marks father asked.

"No." Brad replied quickly. "Don't worry, Mark will be just fine."

"Daddy, can I go home now?" Mark mumbled through the mask.

"I'm sorry buddy." He sighed. "You have to stay here tonight but mommy and Lizzie will come tomorrow and we can have Christmas here."

"But Tony gets to go home tonight." Mark whined "His daddy is nice."

"Tony was in the hospital last week and he's nearly better. You only got here yesterday."

"It's not fair." Mark pouted causing the adults to smile sadly at the child. "What if Santa doesn't find me here."

"He knows where you are." Jackson assured. "He always knows where everyone is."

Mark nodded and lay back against the pillows. They spent the rest of the time in silence.

By the time they had finished the treatments' Tony was fast asleep and Mark was getting hyper.

"He always gets hyper after the steroids." Marks father sighed as he helped the child off the bed.

"Tony always gets tired." Gibbs added.

"Everyone reacts differently." Brad explained. "I'd suggest you get Tony home and let him rest. I'll have his prescription waiting at the desk."

"Thanks Brad," Gibbs replied "Hey Tony, wake up. It's time to go home."

"Huh." Tony mumbled as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Time to go home, Tony." Brad added. "I'll meet you outside."

Oh, yeah ok." Tony replied as he eased himself off the bed "Um bye Mark. Hope you feel better soon."

"You too." Mark replied and ran over and hugged Tony's legs before running away again.

"He's pretty hyper." Tony said with a yawn.

"Yeah, lucky me, my kid gets hyper after the steroids and your dad gets a sleepy kid." Marks father added with a smile. "Thanks for your help with Mark, he can be a handful when he's sick and his mother is better at dealing with him."

"You're welcome." Tony replied with a smile and left the room with Gibbs and Jack.

They met with Brad at the door and collected Tony's medicine before getting into the car and heading home. When they arrived, Tony had to be woken again. Gibbs had stopped to collect pizza on the way so they all sat down in the kitchen to eat.

"Ok Tony, bed time." Gibbs said as they finished the food.

"Ah Gibbs, don't you think Jack should get the bed." Tony protested sleepily.

"The couch is fine." Jack assured. "Besides you're too tall to sleep on the couch."

"Yeah but."

"You need a proper bed to get better." Jack added "Now off you go. You need to be well rested for tomorrow."

"Um ok." Tony sighed and started up the stairs.

"Don't forget your pills." Gibbs called and held out the tablets.

Tony turned around, took the pills and swallowed them dry.

"Night." Tony called and continued up the stairs.

"Are you sure he's Ok Leroy." Jack asked worriedly when Tony was gone. "He didn't even notice the Christmas tree."

"He'll be ok." Gibbs sighed. "He's strong."

"I can tell."

"He's been through a lot in his life, most of which we only found out about." Gibbs continued. "He's thinking of leaving NCIS."

"Why, it seems like he loves it there." Jack asked in surprise.

"I screwed up, hell we all screwed up. We didn't treat him right and he thinks we don't trust him."

"He's still here."

"Yeah, we have sorted some things out but we have a lot more to work through." Gibbs sighed. "He's staying here until he gets better so hopefully we can build some trust again."

"You do whatever you have to, to keep that boy around." Jack said. "I haven't seen you this happy in a long time."

"Yeah." Gibbs smiled. "I love when someone thinks I'm his Dad, like that boy at the hospital."

"He looks like he needs a Dad." Jack added.

"He's father wasn't much of a parent." Gibbs sighed.

"Well you can be the Dad he needs and I can be the Grandfather." Jack added with a smile "We'll make it a Christmas to remember."

"Thanks Dad." Gibbs smiled and stood up. "Get some sleep and I'll see you early in the morning."

"Ok son." Jack replied and they got the couch ready before Gibbs left for bed.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks again for all of the lovely reviews and for the alerts. The next chapter will be the last and I hope to have it up for you tomorrow._


	13. Chapter 13

_I really don't know how chapter 9 came up again. Sorry about that._

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Chapter 13

The following morning Jack and Jethro woke early and started getting things ready for Christmas.

They finished off the Christmas tree with some of Gibbs own decorations and for the first time in years. The house was decorated for Christmas. When the living room was decorated Jackson started on breakfast while Gibbs started putting the gifts under the tree.

Tony woke to the smell of food and quickly got up and got dressed. Jackson was just setting out the breakfast as Tony entered the kitchen.

"Wow Jack, this looks great." Tony said as he inhaled the aroma. "Why all the food?"

"It's Christmas Tony." Jack replied. "We always have a big breakfast on Christmas morning. Did your family not do anything special?"

"Nah, Christmas was just another day in the DiNozzo household." Tony replied dismissively.

"Well, sit down and dig in." Jackson ordered trying to hide the sad look that crossed his face. "Leroy, breakfast is ready."

"Coming Dad." Jethro called as he entered the kitchen. "Good morning Tony. How are you feeling?"

"I'm good." Tony replied with a grin.

"That's good to hear." Gibbs replied "Now dig in son, we have a busy day."

Tony's head popped up in shock when he heard the word son.

"Uh yeah ok." Tony agreed and started eating the food. There was a lot there and all ate until they were stuffed. Twenty minutes later they had all finished eating and made quick work of the clean up.

"So what are we doing now?" Tony asked

"You need to take your pills." Gibbs replied and Tony quickly complied.

"Now what." Tony repeated with a grin.

"Now we get ready to go to the soup kitchen." Gibbs replied. "Go relax for a few minutes while I get ready."

"Ok." Tony replied and went to the living room. "Wow, when did all this happen?" He asked in amazement.

"We did it yesterday and finished this morning." Jack replied as he too entered the room. "We wanted you to have a proper Christmas this year."

"You did all this for me." Tony asked in awe.

"Of course son. Leroy wanted you to know how much he cares for you. As do I. He's very upset that you were thinking about leaving NCIS."

"He cares about me?" Tony asked surprised.

"Of course I do Tony." Gibbs replied as he entered. "You are family and we wanted you to know that. We both care a lot about you."

"Wow. I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything." Gibbs replied with a soft smile. "Now are you both ready to go, the sooner we get to the soup kitchen, the sooner we can get home and open our presents."

Jackson quickly got ready and the tree of them wrapped up warmly. When they were ready they climbed into the car and Gibbs drove quickly to the soup kitchen. They were greeted by the head organizer and they were quickly put to work. Jackson was put serving food, Gibbs was put doing wash up and Tony was put to work clearing the tables. The three spent the next two hours at the soup kitchen handing out food to the less fortunate. They were all tired when they finished but they were glad they could help out. They returned home and Gibbs started the dinner while Tony gathered his gifts and put them under the tree with the others.

Gibbs returned to the living room a short while later carry a plate of sandwiches to do them until that evening. They all ate the food hungrily and Tony took his pills before they started to open gifts. Tony handed out his gifts first.

He had bought some designer clothes for both Gibbs and Jackson. The clothes suited each man perfectly and they were both delighted with them. He had bough Jackson a sweater to replace the one he had borrowed while they were in Stillwater. Next he gave them each some tickets for football matches and explained that he had some for himself too. He bought Jack a pocket watch and he bought Gibbs the usual bottle of expensive bourbon as well as a new set of hand tools to use on his next project. Both men were delighted with the gifts and each gave Tony a warm hug.

"Thank you Tony." Jack said kindly. "I am looking forward to those games very much."

"Yeah." Gibbs agreed. "These are really great. Now it's your turn to open some gifts."

"Um ok." Tony replied hesitantly and searched under the tree for something with his name on it.

He pulled out a large envelope and carefully opened it. He pulled out some papers and glanced over them.

"Ah boss, what's this?" Tony asked uncertainly.

"It's a father/son weekend." Gibbs explained. "Camping, fishing, hunting, that kind of thing."

"Uh that sounds great boss." Tony sighed "But I ah, I don't think my father would go."

"Read the next page." Gibbs instructed and Tony complied.

"Ah boss, this has your name on it." Tony gasped "And Jacks."

"The three of us are going together." Gibbs explained.

"But I'm not your son." Tony sighed. "Why would you want to do this with me?"

"You are the closest thing I have to a child" Gibbs replied softly. "You are like a son to me. I know I haven't shown it much lately but that's going to change."

"Um, thanks boss." Tony replied shyly, "This is really nice of you."

"Come on you have other presents to open." Jackson said.

Tony searched the presents again and spotted a very large box with both his and Gibbs name on it.

"Ah that one is from me to both of you." Jackson explained as Tony and Gibbs pulled out the box. "It's a bit of a selfish gift on my part.

When the paper was ripped off a 42" flat screen TV was revealed.

"Wow Jack this is great." Tony grinned. "Now I can actually watch TV here."

"Yeah and so can I." Jack agreed. "Now that I'll be here more often, I'll need something to do."

"Thanks Dad, this is great." Gibbs added

"There's one more under there for you." Jack said to Tony.

Tony again searched under the tree and found a small box. He carefully un-wrapped the gift and opened the box. He pulled out a key.

"What's this?" Tony asked confused.

"That is the key to your new car." Jackson explained. "Leroy and I got you a 1969 Boss 302 Mustang. It needs a lot of work. The car is going to stay in Stillwater and you are both going to visit often and help to restore it."

"You got me a car." Tony asked in surprise. "That's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

"You deserve it son." Gibbs said as he pulled Tony into a hug.

"Thanks...Boss." Tony replied as tears filled his eyes. "Thanks Jack."

"You are very welcome Tony." Jack replied as he handed Jethro a present to open.

The two older men spent the next few minutes opening their presents, giving Tony some time to compose himself.

"How about we set up this TV and watch a movie" Jack suggested.

Tony quickly set up the TV with some help from Jack and then set up the DVD player that Gibbs had got as a present. Tony flicked through the channels and found a movie to watch and put it on. Gibbs grabbed some beers and they drank while they watched the movie. Gibbs set up the nebulizer a while into the movie and placed it over Tony's face.

By the time the movie ended, Tony was fast asleep on the couch. The steroids really knocked him out. Gibbs and Jackson left him to sleep while they finished getting the dinner ready.

When the food was ready, Jackson gently shook Tony awake. "Dinner is ready son."

"Oh ah sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep." Tony apologised as he got up from the couch.

"It's ok Tony." Jack assured "Come on dinner is waiting."

"Smells great boss." Tony said as he entered the kitchen. "Looks great too."

"Dig in." Jack ordered as he served up the food.

Tony accepted the plate from Jack and sat down. When the other two men had their plates full, they all started eating.

"This is lovely." Tony said as he swallowed a mouthful. "Best Christmas dinner ever."

"Glad you like it." Gibbs replied with a smile "It's the first I've cooked in a while."

"It's quite a meal." Jackson agreed. "I'm glad we are sharing it together."

"Yeah." Tony agreed with a gentle smile.

They ate the rest of the meal in silence and after they had cleaned up, they brought some pie into the sitting room and relaxed.

"Want to watch another movie." Jack asked.

"Yeah sure. I'm sure there is something on one of the channels." Tony replied as he started flicking.

He came across the opening scene of 'It's a Wonderful Life' and Gibbs and Jackson nodded in agreement. They grabbed some more drinks before sitting down to enjoy the film. They enjoyed the film and Tony was happy to continue with his Christmas tradition of watching 'It's a Wonderful life'. It was the one thing that Tony did every Christmas.

Soon the film came to an end and Tony was falling asleep again.

"Come on Tony, time for bed." Gibbs said as he stood up

"No I'm ok, not tired." Tony mumbled tiredly.

"Yes you are." Gibbs argued with a smile. "Come on, it's been a long day."

"Yeah ok." Tony agreed and got up from the chair.

Gibbs led him up the stairs and into the guest room. Tony quickly got changed and went to the bathroom. Gibbs and Jack were waiting for him when he returned.

"Into bed Tony." Gibbs ordered as he pulled back the covers.

Tony awkwardly climbed into the bed and Jack handed some pills and a glass of water. Tony swallowed the pills and handed the glass back to Jack.

"Get some sleep." Jack ordered as Tony lay down.

"Thanks for a great Christmas." Tony said with a yawn. "It was really nice. I don't think I've ever had a Christmas like it."

"It's the first of many," Gibbs assured as he tucked Tony in. "Now get some sleep."

"Night." Tony added as Gibbs and Jack left the room.

"Now this really is a wonderful life." Tony whispered to himself and closed his eyes

Jackson and Gibbs heard what Tony said and smiled at each other before they each went their separate ways to go to sleep.

It was only the start with Tony but things were going to get better as time went on. They would be the family Tony wanted and needed.

The End.

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_A/N: Thats the end. I hope everyone has enjoyed my little story. I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has read this story and an especially bigthanks to all those who have takedn the time to leave reviews and alerts. I'm sorry I haven't had time to reply to all of them. There were just so many that I didn't have time. Real Life tends to take up a lot of my time. Thanks again for reading. _


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